Abi Daré’s debut brings us an underrepresented perspective in Nigerian literature, dominated as it is by middle-class city dwellers or ‘Afropolitans’ who find their identity in geographical and cultural indeterminacy. Daré points out in an interview with Newham London that hers is one of the many middle-class Lagosian families who hire house girls for various domestic chores. Growing up, she noticed how poorly treated these girls were: they were not seen as people but as property, devoid of the feelings and desires allowed only to their employers. In The Girl with the Louding Voice, Daré chooses to tell their stories.
“The Girl with the Louding Voice is a timeless story that animates a voice we rarely hear.”
When not being sexually harassed—first by her much older husband and later by her master—Adunni is mistreated by her mistress and constantly invalidated for daring to dream of one day becoming a teacher. She finally finds some consolation in a modernised Lagosian woman, Tia, who clandestinely helps her to apply for a schooling programme and introduces her to the possibility of finding freedom in womanhood. In The Girl with the Louding Voice, Adunni faces up to and ultimately conquers the various obstacles that arise from her intersectional positionality as a young Black woman hailing from a rural village.
What is most distinctive about this novel is the language. Written in Nigerian pidgin, it accurately represents the vocabulary and speech patterns of many citizens who are not literate according to Western definitions of literacy. As she becomes increasingly educated, Adunni’s language also becomes increasingly standard. While the earlier chapters are peppered with her apt observations on social norms like the hypocrisy of gender roles, the later ones are punctuated with general facts that provide a sense of narrative intimacy: we are witnessing her character’s development in real-time.
There is, however, something about Adunni’s character which is less convincing and may be attributable to the author’s attempt to embody a voice that is not their own. Adunni is, in short, angelic and single-faceted: she always says and does exactly what we expect her to do in her singular desire to get an education. A perfect recounter, hers is a character who leaves you desiring agency and a dash of moral ambiguity.
“What is most distinctive about this novel is the language.”
But while the novel is chiefly about Adunni coming into her distinctive voice, that voice remains one of many in a diverse chorus. From her childhood best friend who only dreams of getting a good husband, to the cosmopolitan Tia who struggles with fertility and the meaning of motherhood, Daré creates a textured womanist novel. Populated with memorable characters, the novel’s village scenes are an uncommon delight of slow living little represented in Afropolitan literature.
Another element that may irk the more literary-minded is the extroverted plot, a wholly predictable affair that trudges along a well-trodden arc. We know that the Western publishing landscape prefers feminist literary fiction that is introspective and finds its story in the subversive imperfection of their female protagonists. We must, however, remember that other markets are characterised by a preference for traditional modes of storytelling. The Girl with the Louding Voice is just that: a timeless story about a strong girl chasing her dreams that finds its uniqueness in how vernacular animates a voice we rarely hear.
By Jane Link
JANE LINK is a master’s student and an editor for Split Lip Magazine, The Publishing Post, and her own beloved bigblackbooks. When not trying to land her first job in publishing, Jane loves to read historical fiction, self-help, and everything by Black voices. She dreams of one day setting up an independent dedicated to publishing those voices. You can find her on Twitter @verybookishjane.
ABI DARÉ grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has lived in the UK for over eighteen years. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an MSc in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University as well as an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. The Girl with the Louding Voicewon the Bath Novel Award for unpublished manuscripts in 2018 and was also selected as a finalist in the 2018 Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters, who inspired her to write her debut novel. You can find her @abidaré_author on Twitter.
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Published by Dutton on 4 Feb 2020
Genres: African, Coming-of-age, Debut, Literary fiction, Women's fiction, Urban
Pages: 371
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The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself. Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself—and help other girls like her do the same. Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams ... and maybe even change the world.
