"We all be speaking different because we all are having different growing-up life but we can all be understanding each other if we just take the time to listen well."

Wow. This book was a book club pick last month and I'm honestly pretty blown away. I'd heard a lot of praise, but I'd also read some reviews that were more sceptical of the book's style. I can firmly say I thought the book was brilliant on all levels. It also felt very timely and emotional to be reading a book that focuses on the vast inequalities, the disparities of wealth and problems in Nigeria given the awful events taking place there at the moment.

Adunni is the main character in this book and for those that don't know much about the plot. It follows 15 year-old Adunni who grows up in a small village in Nigeria. When her mother dies her father marries her off as the third wife to the local taxi-man to pay their rent. When something happens in the household she ends up becoming a house maid to a wealthy woman in Lagos. I won't spoil the plot by digging into some of the big themes that emerge from Adunni's story, which I think come through most pointedly as Adunni grows and learns across the book.

What I will say is Abi Daré uses Adunni's innocence and sheltered view of the world to truly express a damning and incredibly observant critique of society. The criticism I saw of the book was that Adunni's broken English is incredibly difficult to deal with and I just think that's ridiculous and ignorance speaking. Adunni levels everybody around her in her observations, she strips away the wealth and the privilege and shows that fluent English does not make for a better person or a more learned person. She demonstrates that many women are trapped by their circumstances and their level of English does not change that.

Adunni's voice is a powerful voice for change, a symbol of hope, of joy and continuous strength in the face of adversity. Her character is somebody I would describe as having a beautiful soul. She is a girl who wants to learn, who wants to make the world a better place and help others like herself.

I would also say, that although Daré criticises elements of Nigerian society, through Adunni's character she also shows that she has a deep love for Nigeria. The love of the people and the country and that should not be forgotten.
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Adunni's voice shined a light for me in times when the world can feel a little dark and despondent and although this book has some very heavy content it also felt like a warm hug and beacon of hope for a better future. There were so many moments of this book I loved and it's been a while since I found a book that I couldn't put down as much as this.