Daughter in Exile: A Novel

Written by Bisi Adjapon

Narrated by Anniwaa Buachie

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063089105

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 Daughter in Exile

[kwakyewaa owusu-nyantakyi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very realistic depiction of the immigrant’s plight as well as race and cultural dynamics african immigrants experience
The story is great. The narration, however was tough to listen to.

[Audrey Moreland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story that opened my eyes to the trials and hardships of immigrants just trying to survive. Listening to Lola’s life allowed me to experience a plethora of emotions, from anger to hope. I really appreciated this story, though fiction, it‘s so important for us to see our neighbors, be love and express love because we really don’t know what people are sacrificing just to exist. It also shined light on the gross hypocrisies and misdirection that’s happening in churches. We may have come a way but we still have a way to go. I loved that the story ends with a miraculous accomplishment. & I loved this quote: “Life holds no allegiance to anyone’s plans”. I definitely recommend this read.

[Araba Quayson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story line but not the way it was read.