The Teller of Secrets: A Novel

Written by Bisi Adjapon

Narrated by Anniwaa Buachie

“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. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063088979

Bisi Adjapon

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 for The Teller of Secrets

[whitney4franklin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed this story, I felt disappointed in that I kept waiting for some big secret to be revealed and I felt like that never happened. The book was not so much about Esi being the holder of some grave secret but rather about a journey of self-discovery. A journey to find her voice. It was a story of love, loss and growth. I especially liked how the author did not shy away from addressing key issues that many young girls deal with while growing up: sexual exploration; shame, paternal relationships. It made it easy to relate to Esi, the curious child. Then there was Ese, the outspoken scholar and Ese, the lover. All in all, I thought there was a seamless transition throughout all the different stages in Ese's life. And all of this was done against a historical backdrop telling of the undercurrent between Nigeria and Ghana.

I would read from this author again.

[Fawziya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written and read too. A mix of life stories of african daughters, feminism, love & discovery told by one daughter… with a surprise history lesson in between.

[bridgettes-104215 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Teller of Secrets is about a Ghanaian/Nigerian girl, Esi, who lives with her very strict father and stepmother in Ghana. At a young age, Esi discovers that rules are different for women than they are for men. She is a smart girl, more modern than most women, but keeps getting knocked down whenever she tries to accomplish something non-traditional. Esi is fierce, independent and strong and I found myself rooting for her throughout the story. Highly recommend!

[Naomi Martin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it, very well written and well narrated. I really did not want it to end. I want to hear where her life goes.

[eli Horgz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suspense and thrill and history lessons. This was frustrating and exciting to read. Esi is a representation of many many African women and women world wide. I hope we all from her that the power to solve our problems lies in our hands. Take action today and change tomorrow

[Candace Dewsbury · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautifully written and engaging novel about being the power of being a woman

[Ibhade Inegbedion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I’ve ever read! Amazing from the beginning to the end!!

[Nyash line · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is amazingly fun....and the narrator understood the assignment for sure

[zoharlaor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon is a coming of age novel about a Nigerian-Ghanian girl in the late 1960s, discovering feminism. This is Ms. Adjapon’s debut novel.Esi Agyekum is a young woman, half Nigerian-half Ghanaian who knows how to keep a secret. But Esi’s sexual exploration gets punished, and she is humiliated. A bright young woman, Esi starts to question the role of girls and women in her country, and why they bear and suffer the consequences of acts, while men simply get a pass for the same.Navigating her womanhood, Esi’s ideology gets her the a reputation as a troublemaker, but also the earns her respect, sometime from others, but mostly from herself.I really enjoy books in, or about, Africa so I was happy to read The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon. The book shows an aspect of a society I know little about, and happy I’m not living in.Esi, the protagonist, is certainly smart and feisty. She is an independent thinker who doesn’t take things at face value, and questions everything, especially if she doesn’t like, agree, or understand why.A troublemaker in the eyes of society.I certainly enjoyed the book, the writing was smart, sometimes funny, often fascinating. The unfairness, as well as double standards, of a society biased against women leaves in its wake broken families, confusion, as well as physically and psychologically wounded women.There are several things, however, that didn’t sit well with me. We follow Esi through her life, as a young woman she thinks, and sounds like she’s a full-grown adult. Esi experiences so much trauma in her short life, it’s a miracle she’s even a functional adult. Granted, I have no idea if this much trauma was common in 1960s Ghana, or the author took poetic liberties for the sake of storytelling – I hope the latter. The theme of feminism was very obvious throughout the book, there was no need to hit the reader over the head with it as well.I was surprised by the actions of Esi’s father. An educator who advocated schooling his whole life, seem to be stuck in a patriarchal society, while recognizing the genius of his own daughter. He pushes Esi to get into the best schools, and get the best education, however his foremost hope for her is to get married and submit to her husband.Very strange.Shining a light on the plight of women everywhere is, indeed, a noble cause. I applaud the author for doing so successfully, I certainly hope this novel will make a difference in at least one life.