Sceptre
Sceptre
Sceptre
The unforgettable, inspiring, New York Times bestselling debut, shortlisted for the 2020 Desmond Elliott prize.
All you have are your words.
AS RECOMMENDED BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A TOP TEN SUNDAY POST BESTSELLER
A STYLIST BEST BOOK OF 2020
'A stunning novel - original, beautiful and powerful' Rosamund Lupton
Meet Adunni, a teenage girl born into a rural Nigerian village.
Aged fourteen, she is a commodity, a wife, a servant.
She is also smart, funny, curious, with a spirit and joy infectious to those around her.
And despite her situation going from bad to worse, she has a plan to escape: she will find her 'louding voice' and get her education, so that she can speak up for herself - and all the girls who came before her.
As she turns enemies into friends and superiors into aides, Adunni will take you with her on a heart-breaking but inspiring journey from a small village to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, and show you that no matter the situation, there is always some joy to be found.
'A story of courage that will win over your heart' Stylist
'An unforgettable novel' Jeanine Cummins
'A sparkling debut . . . marks the appearance of a strong and stylish new talent' Harper's Bazaar
'A true original, this will open your eyes' Cosmopolitan
[A] brave, fresh voice . . . Dare draws the reader in with a vivid character whose dire circumstances are contrasted with her natural creativity . . . Unforgettable - New York Times
An impressive debut novel - Observer
Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her destiny shine through this remarkable book. - Independent
The story told in this novel is an important one . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice joins a long and fine tradition of issue-led novels that have sparked conversations resulting in social change. - Guardian
Narrated by Adunni herself in a brilliantly sustained broken English, this ultimately uplifting debut novel shines a penetrating light on the barbaric practices of child labour and child marriage - Mail on Sunday
This is a compelling, captivating and unforgettable debut - Mirror
Dare's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale - Daily Mail, Summer Fiction Special
Abi DarA grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and has lived in the UK for over 18 years. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an M.Sc. in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University. Keen to improve her writing, Abi completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University of London, achieving a Distinction. Her novel, The Girl with The Louding Voice won The Bath Novel Award in 2018 and was selected as a finalist in The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition in 2018. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two children.