The acclaimed author of The Teller of Secrets returns with a gut-wrenching, yet heartwarming, story about a young Ghanaian woman’s struggle to make a life in the US, 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 nice apartment, 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; she has traded her carefree existence in Senegal for the perilous position of an undocumented immigrant in 1990s America.
Lola encounters adversity that would crush a less-determined woman. Her fate hangs on whether or not she’ll grow in courage to forge a different life from one she’d imagined, whether she’ll succeed in putting herself and family together again. Daughter in Exile is a hope-filled story about mother love, resilience, and unyielding strength.
BIO
Bisi Adjapon is the author of critically acclaimed novel The Teller of Secrets. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly, Washington Post, Ms Magazine, Aljazeera, New York Times and The Guardian. She has won the Foreign Service Award for Human Relations and an Excellence in Teaching Award. She divides her time between Ghana and America.
REVIEWS
'Adjapon's dramatic and engaging character-driven story captures the trauma of living as an undocumented immigrant. Lola’s fortitude sends a clear message that human kindness and compassion can make all the difference.' -- Booklist (starred review)
'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
'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
“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
[H] Harpervia / January 31, 2023
1.5" H x 9.2" L x 6.7" W (1.18 lbs) 400 pages