Housegirl, Michael Donkor
Housegirl, Michael Donkor
3 Rating(s)
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Housegirl
A Novel

Author: Michael Donkor

Narrator: Adjoa Andoh

Unabridged: 10 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/28/2018


Synopsis

"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

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.

Praise for Housegirl:

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

“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

About Michael Donkor

Michael Donkor was born in London, to Ghanaian parents. He studied English at Wadham College at the University of Oxford, undertook a masters in creative writering at Royal Holloway, and now teaches English literature to secondary school students. In 2014, his writing won him a place on the Writers' Centre Norwich Inspires Scheme, where he received a year's mentoring from Daniel Hahn. Housegirl is his first novel, and many of the issues in it are close to his heart.


Reviews

3.5 stars to House Girl! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 Housegirl is set in both Ghana and London and is the story of two teen girls facing the life-expanding challenges often associated with “coming of age.” Belinda is a rule follower, and as a “housegirl,” it is a blessing because she has to keep up with the details o......more

Goodreads review by Nicole

I feel bad criticizing the work of an author, especially a debut novel, as it feels as though I'm criticizing someone's newborn child. However, I have to remind myself of the fact that I devoted a few hours of my life that I can never get back reading said book, and it in that respect it all evens o......more

Goodreads review by Paul

Shortlisted for the 2019 Desmond Elliot Prize for debut fiction and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers The two of them – Amma, Mary – in their own, very different ways , in their different times and places, had made Belinda think and laugh so hard. Michael Donkor's excellent debut......more

Goodreads review by Andre

Belinda is the lead protagonist of this novel that never really hits a higher gear. It’s like being in a car riding on a flat land and never shifting out of first gear. There are no scary turns, no dangerous hills, no steep climbs, just miles of flat terrain. The novel just moves along telling Belin......more