BISI ADJAPON

The Teller of Secrets

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. 

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What others are saying about The Teller of Secrets
“The sweeping arc of Adjapon's densely absorbing drama includes a fresh interpretation of post-colonial West African political dysfunction and military overreach from a young woman's perspective, her physical and intellectual emancipation at its simmering center”
Shelf Awareness
“It's hard to believe The Teller of Secrets is Bisi Adjapon's debut novel…stunning”
Popsugar
“Bisi Adjapon’s US debut is an extraordinary representation of feminist coming-of-age in 1960s Ghana”
Ms. Magazine

Daughter In Exile

The acclaimed author of The Teller of Secrets returns with a gut-wrenching but heartwarming story about a young Ghanaian woman's struggle to make a life in the U.S., and the challenges she must overcome.

Lola is twenty-one, and her life in Senegal couldn't be better. An aspiring writer and university graduate, she has a great job, a vibrant social life, and a future filled with possibility. But fate disrupts her world when she falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy. Her mother, a high court judge in Ghana, disapproves of her choice, but nothing will stop Lola from boarding a plane for Armand and America.

That fateful flight is only the beginning of an extraordinary journey, for she has traded her carefree life for the perilous existence of an undocumented immigrant. Lola encounters adversity that would crush a less determined woman. Her fate hangs on whether she'll grow in courage to forge a life different from the one she'd imagined, whether she'll succeed in putting herself and her family together again. Daughter in Exile is a hope-filled story about mother love and what defines us all.

Genres Fiction, Adult, Fiction

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What others are saying about Daughter In Exile
“Through Lola’s heartbreaking plight, Adjapon illustrates the impossibilities of the immigrant experience in America. A thought-provoking read.”
Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
"Fast-paced. Riveting. Heartbreaking. Far from the madding crowds of immigrant novels, Adjapon’s DAUGHTER IN EXILE highlights the cultural differences that divide us and, ultimately, the shared humanity that brings us together"
Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“In DAUGHTER IN EXILE, Adjapon shows the indomitability of the human spirit while using words sparingly. A fantastic melding of art meeting message, DAUGHTER IN EXILE is that must-read novel that we didn't know we needed until we got it.”
Zukiswa Wanner, author of London – Capetian – Joburg, Goethe Medal Recipient
“Sensuous and intelligent, insightful, and riveting, DAUGHTER IN EXILE is a deft exploration of motherhood and love, told through the eyes of a young woman determined to create her world on her terms. Bisi Adjapon uses language like a finely tuned instrument, alternating moments of warmth with devastating revelations about identity, family, and those lies we tell ourselves in order to keep moving forward. This is a must-read”
Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, finalist for the Booker Prize