Housegirl

A Novel

By: Michael Donkor

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Nominated for the Edinburgh First Book Award

One of The Millions' "Most Anticipated Books of the Year"

One of The Guardian's "Best Summer Books"

A moving and unexpectedly funny exploration of friendship and family, shame and forgiveness, Michael Donkor's debut audiobook follows three adolescent girls grappling with a shared experience: the joys and sorrows of growing up.

Belinda knows how to follow the rules. As a housegirl, she has learned the right way to polish water glasses, to wash and fold a hundred handkerchiefs, and to keep a tight lid on memories of the village she left behind when she came to Kumasi.

Mary is still learning the rules. Eleven-years-old and irrepressible, the young housegirl-in-training is the little sister Belinda never had.

Amma has had enough of the rules. A straight-A student at her exclusive London school, she has always been the pride of her Ghanaian parents - until now. Watching their once-confident teenager grow sullen and wayward, they decide that sensible Belinda is the shining example Amma needs.

So Belinda must leave Mary behind as she is summoned from Ghana to London, where she tries to impose order on her unsettling new world. As summer turns to autumn, Belinda and Amma are surprised to discover common ground. But when the cracks in their defenses open up, the secrets they have both been holding tightly threaten to seep out.

©2018 Michael Donkor (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Donkor’s dense descriptions of life in Ghana and London capture the dazzling disorientation of a young village girl on her own. Compelling female characters abound." (Library Journal, starred review)

"Adjoa Andoh performs much of Housegirl, Michael Donkor's accomplished, affecting debut novel, in sparkling Ghanaian English, immersing listeners in the world of Ghana and the Ghanaian diaspora." (BookPage)

"[Narrator Adjoa Andoh's] creativity especially shines...This is an expertly told story of three interwoven lives." (AudioFile Magazine)

Not an easy listen

I don’t want to be too harsh in my review about this book because I don’t have enough knowledge of Ghanaian culture. I had to read and listen to this book to get to the end. The English in the book was hard to follow. I was 1/3rd into the book before I could stop rereading and determine what the story was about especially the way it started out.

I thought the author put too much on Belinda having her parents try to be the moral police over another young woman, 17 year old Amma. Amma’s sexuality was a secret she shared with Belinda hoping to have someone to discuss her feelings with and poor Belinda who is overwhelmed (she cleans for piece of mind) from being transplanted from Ghana to East London is suffering from her formative beliefs that any sex at this age is bad let alone sex with a girl, prompts and very harsh response because she doesn’t yet know how to delicately counsel.

Amma without support get even more depressed not thinking about the guilt that Belinda has for the way she was abandoned by her mother and in turn feels she abandoned the 11 year old Mary. Amma was wild and undisciplined due to her lifestyle in London. Belinda used to the compounds in Africa did loosen up and become more worldly as evidenced by her trip back home at the end for a funeral.

A very sad book for this new author. I rated it a 3 because there were deep and growing relationships between the three girls and I did read the book because I wanted to know how it ended.

Enchanting and heartbreaking

The reader did a splendid job of capturing the language of the book. The sensory detail and emotion was brilliant. Loved every minute!

Should have been a short story

Plot moved so slowly, this should have been a short story. The performance was okay, but the storyline was lacking.

Not my favorite

I listened to the entire story and, at the end, I was left wondering what was the point of the book?
Much of the dialect I couldn’t understand.

Great Read

Loved It! The narrator was very skilled! I would Reccomend this book to all! Awesome