This week, I’m joined by Abi Daré, to discuss Abi’s extraordinary debut novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice,* which won the Bath Novel Award and soared straight into the New York Times bestseller list on its publication earlier this year. 

Press the play button below to listen to our conversation:

I was mesmerised by The Girl with the Louding Voice. Its protagonist is a fourteen year old Nigerian girl, Adunni, who fights for the right to decide her own destiny. After the death of her mother, Adunni is forced to give up her chance at education and becomes the third wife of a wealthy man in her village.

After a tragic incident, Adunni is secretly sold as a housemaid to a family in Lagos. Even in the hardest of circumstances, however, Adunni never gives up on her dream to go to school and become a teacher so that she can educate other girls like her, and in doing so, give them a future.

The Girl with the Louding Voice draws attention to the horrors of child labour and domestic slavery that continue to operate, both in Nigeria and around the world, but it is also a story full of hope, courage and female solidarity, and Adunni’s voice carries an unforgettable tale.

I had such a wonderful time talking to Abi about the inspiration behind her book and how she wrote Adunni’s distinctive first person narrative. 

Episode Links

• The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

• Find Abi Daré on Instagram and Twitter.

*Please note: affiliate links are used for Blackwells. If you order a book from Blackwells using one of my affiliate links, I may make a small commission from your purchase, at no additional cost to yourself. I like to support Blackwells by linking to their website, as I’m a big fan of their flagship