Narrator Anniwaa Buachie's talent is phenomenal; her flexibility and skill match the storytelling skill of the author, resulting in a tour-de- force audiobook. This coming-of-age debut features Esi Agyekum, a Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up in the 1960s. Esi’s journey from girl to woman is fascinating; she is intelligent, hilarious, and curious. She’s her father’s favorite, and her education is paramount to him, but he also constantly reminds her, “A woman’s glory is her husband.” How Esi swims against the tide of the patriarchy is satisfying; listeners will find themselves rooting for her. Buachie’s range is impressive; every character has a distinct voice, accent, and pitch. She successfully conveys Esi's emotions as she matures. This audiobook is stunningly beautiful and cannot be missed. A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
The Teller of Secrets: A Novel
Narrated by Anniwaa Buachie
Bisi AdjaponUnabridged — 11 hours, 14 minutes
The Teller of Secrets: A Novel
Narrated by Anniwaa Buachie
Bisi AdjaponUnabridged — 11 hours, 14 minutes
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Overview
“Bisi Adjapon writes with incredible vividness and clarity. Her similes and attention to all of the senses are really extraordinary.”-Dave Eggers, author of The Monk of Mokha
“Melding blistering humor with razor-sharp insight, The Teller of Secrets heralds a marvel of a writer, one capable of deftly balancing questions of sexuality, politics, and feminism in a novel that is a pure joy to read.”-Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize
In this stunning debut novel-a tale of self-discovery and feminist awakening-a feisty Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up amid the political upheaval of late 1960s postcolonial Ghana begins to question the hypocrisy of her patriarchal society, and the restrictions and unrealistic expectations placed on women.
Young Esi Agyekum is the unofficial “secret keeper” of her family, as tight-lipped about her father's adultery as she is about her half-sisters' sex lives. But after she is humiliated and punished for her own sexual exploration, Esi begins to question why women's secrets and men's secrets bear different consequences. It is the beginning of a journey of discovery that will lead her to unexpected places.
As she navigates her burgeoning womanhood, Esi tries to reconcile her own ideals and dreams with her family's complicated past and troubled present, as well as society's many double standards that limit her and other women. Against a fraught political climate, Esi fights to carve out her own identity, and learns to manifest her power in surprising and inspiring ways.
Funny, fresh, and fiercely original, The Teller of Secrets marks the American debut of one of West Africa's most exciting literary talents.
Editorial Reviews
★ 09/06/2021
Ghanaian author Adjapon’s fierce feminist coming-of-age debut melds the personal and political amid the violent upheaval of 1970s Ghana. At nine, Esi Agyekum knows plenty of secrets, including her Ghanaian father’s affair, which resulted in a younger half-sibling. She also has four older half-sisters, whom their father berates for their sexual activity, while assuring smart, perceptive Esi that her future will take a different path. These early sections—as Esi reflects on her old life in Lagos, where her Nigerian mother went missing when she was four, and later explores her sexuality during puberty—convincingly express a childlike sensibility, which is especially poignant over a backdrop of a series of military coups (“CIA. KGB. The alphabet people are like spirits. No one sees them or knows who they are, but they know how to find people who don’t like presidents”). As Esi matures, so does her narration, and she outlines not only the secrets she keeps, such as her college boyfriend, but also those that were kept from her, such as her sister Mansa’s history of abuse by her husband, which is eventually revealed in a letter to Esi. Her father’s hypocrisy becomes increasingly striking to Esi as he abruptly shifts from praising Esi’s exceptionalism to encouraging her to marry and settle down: “A woman’s glory is her husband” becomes his mantra, which contrasts with Mansa’s pleas to Esi for help. Sharp, observant, and often bitingly funny, Adjapon’s novel captures a country divided by class, ethnicity, and political loyalty and a character who might have a chance to soar on the winds of social change. This is a winner. (Nov.)
Melding blistering humor with razor-sharp insight, The Teller of Secrets heralds a marvel of a writer, one capable of deftly balancing questions of sexuality, politics, and feminism in a novel that is a pure joy to read. This book is impossible to put down. What an exciting, masterful novel by an uncommonly gifted writer.” — Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize
“Bisi Adjapon writes with incredible vividness and clarity. Her similes and attention to all of the senses are really extraordinary.” — Dave Eggers, publisher of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
“Bisi Adjapon’s The Teller of Secrets unfolds with grace, and a quiet spellbinding beauty to reveal the fascinating journey of Esi to self-discovery through family drama, betrayal and passion. A poignant, witty and delightful read delivered by a storyteller of note. — Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, author of Season of Crimson Blossoms, Winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature
“Sharp, observant, and often bitingly funny, Adjapon’s novel captures a country divided by class, ethnicity, and political loyalty and a character who might have a chance to soar on the winds of social change. This is a winner.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bisi Adjapon has written a deeply compelling, humorous coming-of-age story. Esi Agyekum is brave, perceptive, and precocious; traits she needs to survive the oftentimes perilous journey that most African girls must take on their way to full womanhood. It is a testament to Adjapon’s skill as a writer that the story is told with such vulnerability and sensitivity. An utterly captivating and entertaining read!” — Ama Ata Aidoo, author of Our Sister Killjoy and Changes, Winner of the Commonwealth Prize Award for Best Book
"Breathtaking...Esi ultimately takes control of her body, her mind, and her whole being in ways that will merit a fist pump among feminists everywhere." — Booklist (starred review)
"Adjapon is a masterful storyteller who has created the best friend I wish I had when I was growing up. In Esi, she gives readers a hero who will 'ignite their fires.' This is a feminist manifesto in the form of a novel. Watch Esi as she navigates secrets and sexism, and thank Adjapon for her skill at unpacking patriarchal hypocrisy with clear-eyed gusto" — Mona Eltahawy, author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls
"There's nothing like a coming-of-age story to reminds us of how connected we all are. You'll both cry and cheer as Esi learns the hard lesson that not all secrets are worth keeping." — Essence
"Breathtaking...Esi ultimately takes control of her body, her mind, and her whole being in ways that will merit a fist pump among feminists everywhere."
"There's nothing like a coming-of-age story to reminds us of how connected we all are. You'll both cry and cheer as Esi learns the hard lesson that not all secrets are worth keeping."
Melding blistering humor with razor-sharp insight, The Teller of Secrets heralds a marvel of a writer, one capable of deftly balancing questions of sexuality, politics, and feminism in a novel that is a pure joy to read. This book is impossible to put down. What an exciting, masterful novel by an uncommonly gifted writer.”
"Adjapon is a masterful storyteller who has created the best friend I wish I had when I was growing up. In Esi, she gives readers a hero who will 'ignite their fires.' This is a feminist manifesto in the form of a novel. Watch Esi as she navigates secrets and sexism, and thank Adjapon for her skill at unpacking patriarchal hypocrisy with clear-eyed gusto"
Bisi Adjapon’s The Teller of Secrets unfolds with grace, and a quiet spellbinding beauty to reveal the fascinating journey of Esi to self-discovery through family drama, betrayal and passion. A poignant, witty and delightful read delivered by a storyteller of note.
Bisi Adjapon has written a deeply compelling, humorous coming-of-age story. Esi Agyekum is brave, perceptive, and precocious; traits she needs to survive the oftentimes perilous journey that most African girls must take on their way to full womanhood. It is a testament to Adjapon’s skill as a writer that the story is told with such vulnerability and sensitivity. An utterly captivating and entertaining read!”
Bisi Adjapon writes with incredible vividness and clarity. Her similes and attention to all of the senses are really extraordinary.”
Narrator Anniwaa Buachie's talent is phenomenal; her flexibility and skill match the storytelling skill of the author, resulting in a tour-de- force audiobook. This coming-of-age debut features Esi Agyekum, a Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up in the 1960s. Esi’s journey from girl to woman is fascinating; she is intelligent, hilarious, and curious. She’s her father’s favorite, and her education is paramount to him, but he also constantly reminds her, “A woman’s glory is her husband.” How Esi swims against the tide of the patriarchy is satisfying; listeners will find themselves rooting for her. Buachie’s range is impressive; every character has a distinct voice, accent, and pitch. She successfully conveys Esi's emotions as she matures. This audiobook is stunningly beautiful and cannot be missed. A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
2021-09-01
A Ghanian Nigerian girl questions the patriarchy against the backdrop of political upheaval during the late 1960s and early '70s.
After her Nigerian mother disappears when she's 4, Esi Agyekum grows up with her father, stepmother, stepsisters, and brother in Ghana. She can’t help but notice the preferential treatment her brother receives, while she has to suppress her burgeoning sexuality. Bearing the weight of her father’s expectations, Esi moves through the childhood rites of passage even as she tries to rebel against societal norms. “Women occupy the kitchen while a man rules from the sitting room,” she observes. Such a fate, she promises herself, will not befall her. The story is packed tight with a brisk catalog of events. Esi constantly shifts from one to another—she sees her father having sex with a woman who is not his wife, she attends elementary school, she attends high school, she visits Nigeria, she falls in and out of love with men—while Adjapon barely gives any of these events time to percolate and matter. For a novel that is packed with so many happenings, the narrative is surprisingly lightweight. It’s a whirlwind tour of a childhood without a compelling (or even believable) voice to guide the reader through the landscape. Esi’s self-centeredness as a young adult seems understandable when so much goes on in her life. Against this character trait, though, her feminist awakening seems incongruous. The Esi we come to know seems impulsive, flighty, and incapable of in-depth analysis. Awkward sex scenes only muddy the waters further. Adjapon also weaves in news of state coups without placing them in context. In the end, the book's execution doesn't live up to its grand narrative ambition.
A muddled coming-of-age story that pays lip service to the ideals of feminism.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940176192483 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 11/16/2021 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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