Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

Stick with this one. its the story of three young women and moves been Ghana and London. It's about privilege and culture all wrapped up in coming of age, A good read.

A lot of reviewers were tough on this book and I get it. There is some disconnect with cultural barriers. But if you stick with the story you will find it to be very rewarding. I cannot give it five stars because I am really tough to give those out especially for a debut novel. But it is definitely worth 4 stars. Stick with the story. You will be glad you did.

I just COULD NOT get into this one no matter how hard I tried. The writing style just didn't work for me so I couldn't appreciate the story.

I just couldn't get into this one. The description intrigued me as did the cover but the author just never captured the female voice.

Strong concept and interesting initially, but ultimately this fell flat for me. The plot was winding and many of the choices didn't seem to serve a purpose. The characters are all represented somewhat the same, and there's not enough distinction and contrast between characters like Belinda and Amma, who are supposed to be polar opposites. I wanted to love this book, I really did, but I was disappointed.

There is an authenticness that the writing of this book lacked, and it made it quite tedious for me to read it to the point where I finished it. The Africaness seemed fake and unbelievable. I decided because I did not enjoy this book, I won't be writing a review for it and sharing it on my blog and other platforms.

House Girl
House Girl, by Michael Donkor takes readers to Kumasi, Ghana and London, England as we watch three young girls navigate life within the confines of societal rules. Belinda and Mary, house girls for a well to do family in Ghana, are like sisters. Belinda is older, and has a strong sense of practicality and responsibility. As head house girl, she is training Mary to perform as well. The two develop a true affection as they bond over work, with Belinda attempting to rein in Mary's coltish behavior, all the while appreciating her zest for life.

Belinda is pulled from her stable circumstances to travel to London with Nana to become a companion to Amma, Nana's daughter. Amma, once full of potential, has turned sullen and withdrawn. Nana decides that Belinda's steady influence and maturity will be the remedy. However, the girls don't take well to each other, and a rocky relationship ensues. Over the months, the two girls reveal secrets they each have held closely, and tenetatively bridge a cultural and social divide. Just as friendship and understanding begins to develop, Belinda is called back to Ghana. Tragedy has struck, and she returns to stoically deal with the aftermath. 

This novel introduces three young female characters, each dealing with issues relating to where they are, who they are, and where they have come from. It is in many ways a classic coming of age tale, set in exotic and unfamiliar Ghana. All three characters have much to recommend them, and the tale is a worthwhile experience.

House Girl has been nominated for the Edinburgh First Book Award and is listed as one of The Observer‘s “New Faces of Fiction”; one of The Millions‘ “Most Anticipated Books of the Year” ; one of The Guardian‘s “Best Summer Books” and one of Library Journal‘s “Books to Anticipate.” It’s safe to say it is one of the most anticipated publications of the year. I was anxious to see if the story lived up to all the hype and, for the most part, it did.

When her father stops paying her school fees, Belinda, a young Ghanaian village girl, is forced to leave her mother and small community and seek work as a house girl in the capital, Kumasi. Along with Mary, the eleven-year-old second house girl, she works a long day cooking and cleaning so that she may send money home. Not only does she excel at her job, but she has trained flighty, tempestuous Mary to be a good servant as well. When wealthy Nana visits from London, she notices how mature, kind and good-natured seventeen-year-old Belinda is. She also notices how well Mary behaves under Belinda’s guidance.

Nana’s own daughter has become a difficult, bad tempered, poorly behaved teen. Longing to have her daughter become sweet natured once more, Nana takes Belinda back to London with her. The hope is that having Belinda serve as a companion to the surly Amma will help the troubled teen become more even-tempered; Nana also hopes that Amma will open up to Belinda, so that Nana can work out if anything besides typical youthful moodiness is behind the change in Amma’s behavior.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned. You can’t simply throw two teenagers together and have them become instant besties, which Nana quickly learns. Amma avoids Belinda, belittles her, and refuses to open up to her. When the two are forced to interact, Amma makes sure it is on her terms, which involve copious amounts of drinking and smoking. Feeling increasingly lost and isolated, Belinda fears that rather than her having a good influence on Amma, Amma will prove to be a corrupting influence on her.

This is a slice of life story which takes us through a small but relevant period of life for three young women. Belinda, whose life is completely dictated by others, is endlessly looking for a way forward. When she left home, her mother told her to pretend that home no longer existed; to make believe that after she had left a flood had destroyed the entire community. Belinda wants and needs security and having to deal with Amma’s capricious moods, to possibly have her job security dependent on how well she can relate to the mercurial young woman, is deeply challenging for her.

Mary does not have a personality suited to her station in life. Active, jubilant, flighty, feisty, outgoing and exuberant, she is a large character in a tiny body. It is not easy for her to have Belinda far away, and her phone calls to the older girl showcase her longing to have Belinda home and a touch of the resentment she feels at being left behind.

Amma – as a British-Ghanaian – is trying to find where she fits in the world, knowing that her race, among other factors, will always keep her from being perfectly comfortable in the land in which she was raised. However, her upbringing prevents her from feeling anything but uncomfortable in Ghana. Feeling as if she belongs nowhere, she lashes out at the people closest to her.

The tale works very well as a coming of age story in that it highlights how, regardless of one’s station in life, young adulthood is always a difficult period full of painful discoveries. A conversation between Amma and a former lover shows that the path of love can often be strewn with broken promises and crushed dreams. The tense relationships between Belinda and Mary and Belinda and Amma show how friendships can be strained by jealousies over what others have, what we want, and the general injustice of the universe, which tends to be felt very acutely during this time of life.

Easily the greatest strength of the story is its rich look at Ghanaian culture. The author conveys the beauty, frustration and difficult aspects of the land as a beautiful mosaic in the background of the novel, showcasing how we are the same on the inside the world over even as our external life experiences are vastly different.

There is one aspect of Ghanaian culture that I feel compelled to give a word of warning about. An LGBTQ+ character outs themselves to a friend during the course of the tale and it does not go well. Ghanaian culture has a negative view of the LGBTQ+ community and the initial conversation, in which the character discusses their sexuality with their friend (and many of the subsequent conversations on the issue), are fairly negative. That dilemma gets a mild resolution at the end of the novel, but it might be considered by some to be too little, too late. I did feel the author was trying hard to balance sensitivity and reality and in no way is the LGBTQ+ community negatively portrayed, but it serves to show how even the kindest people within the Ghanaian culture had no tolerance when it came to this issue. There was also discussion of how tolerance – even in Britain – is dependent on skin color, with a white woman being more tolerated for her sexual decisions than a black woman would be.

House Girl tackles some tough issues, so it is not always an easy read. It is an insightful one, though, which will take you outside your everyday experiences and let you look at the world in a whole new way. I would recommend this book to fans of coming of age stories and everyone who has loved the recommendations from Oprah’s Book Club; This novel fits perfectly into that milieu.

I could not seem to get into this book. I was so excited upon reading the description, but ultimately was not for me. I found. Much of the dialect difficult to follow and am not a fan of having to go back and check the glossary of terms. This is even more bothersome when reading on a kindle I fear.
It’s possible I set my expectations to something that this book was not, but I definitely don’t feel it fit the description of the book.

We begin in Ghana with two housegirls, Belinda (17) and Mary (12). Enter Nana who visits from England. Her daughter, Amma, of similar age to Belinda, has become a closed book to her parents. While people insist it is hormones, her mother thinks there is something else going on. Belinda is to go to England, befriend Amma, learn what is happening and inform Nana. At 25% of the way through, there is decent character development for Belinda and Mary but little to no plot.

Over time we see a friendship develop between Amma and Belinda. However, there really isn’t enough happening here to keep me engaged. I’ve read other books with Pidgin-English, but this one didn’t integrate it well for the average reader who is inexperienced in Pidgin. I was especially interested in the few Ghanian cultural mentions, however they were discussed very superficially and left me wanting...

Around 40% through this book, some interesting things start to happen in this book. However, by this point, I didn’t have a hook to keep me engaged and ultimately decided to DNF this one.

Lastly, as a reader and as a woman, it felt inauthentic to have a male author describe intimate details of two teenage girls being together. There were aspects that just didn’t seem right to me…

Thank you to NetGally and Picador for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

House Girl has been nominated for the Edinburgh First Book Award and is listed as one of The Observer's "New Faces of Fiction"; one of The Millions' "Most Anticipated Books of the Year" ; one of The Guardian's "Best Summer Books" and one of Library Journal's "Books to Anticipate." It's safe to say it is one of the most anticipated publications of the year. I was anxious to see if the story lived up to all the hype and, for the most part, it did.

When her father stops paying her school fees, Belinda, a young Ghanaian village girl, is forced to leave her mother and small community and seek work as a house girl in the capital, Kumasi. Along with Mary, the eleven-year-old second house girl, she works a long day cooking and cleaning so that she may send money home.  Not only does she excel at her job, but she has trained flighty, tempestuous Mary to be a good servant as well.  When wealthy Nana visits from London, she notices how mature, kind and good-natured seventeen-year-old Belinda is. She also notices how well Mary behaves under Belinda’s guidance.

Nana’s own daughter has become a difficult, bad tempered, poorly behaved teen. Longing to have her daughter become sweet natured once more, Nana takes Belinda back to London with her. The hope is that having Belinda serve as a companion to the surly Amma will help the troubled teen become more even-tempered; Nana also hopes that Amma will open up to Belinda, so that Nana can work out if anything besides typical youthful moodiness is behind the change in Amma’s behavior.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned. You can’t simply throw two teenagers together and have them become instant besties, which Nana quickly learns. Amma avoids Belinda, belittles her, and refuses to open up to her. When the two are forced to interact, Amma makes sure it is on her terms, which involve copious amounts of drinking and smoking. Feeling increasingly lost and isolated, Belinda fears that rather than her having a good influence on Amma, Amma will prove to be a corrupting influence on her.

This is a slice of life story which takes us through a small but relevant period of life for three young women. Belinda, whose life is completely dictated by others, is endlessly looking for a way forward. When she left home, her mother told her to pretend that home no longer existed; to make believe that after she had left a flood had destroyed the entire community. Belinda wants and needs security and having to deal with Amma’s capricious moods, to possibly have her job security dependent on how well she can relate to the mercurial young woman, is deeply challenging for her.

Mary does not have a personality suited to her station in life. Active, jubilant, flighty, feisty, outgoing and exuberant, she is a large character in a tiny body. It is not easy for her to have Belinda far away, and her phone calls to the older girl showcase her longing to have Belinda home and a touch of the resentment she feels at being left behind.

Amma - as a British-Ghanaian - is trying to find where she fits in the world, knowing that her race, among other factors, will always keep her from being perfectly comfortable in the land in which she was raised. However, her upbringing prevents her from feeling anything but uncomfortable in Ghana. Feeling as if she belongs nowhere, she lashes out at the people closest to her.

The tale works very well as a coming of age story in that it highlights how, regardless of one’s station in life, young adulthood is always a difficult period full of painful discoveries. A conversation between Amma and a former lover shows that the path of love can often be strewn with broken promises and crushed dreams. The tense relationships between Belinda and Mary and Belinda and Amma show how friendships can be strained by jealousies over what others have, what we want, and the general injustice of the universe, which tends to be felt very acutely during this time of life.

Easily the greatest strength of the story is its rich look at Ghanaian culture. The author conveys the beauty, frustration and difficult aspects of the land as a beautiful mosaic in the background of the novel, showcasing how we are the same on the inside the world over even as our external life experiences are vastly different.

There is one aspect of Ghanaian culture that I feel compelled to give a word of warning about.  An LGBTQ+ character outs themselves to a friend during the course of the tale and it does not go well. Ghanaian culture has a negative view of the LGBTQ+ community and the initial conversation, in which the character discusses their sexuality with their friend (and many of the subsequent conversations on the issue), are fairly negative. That dilemma gets a mild resolution at the end of the novel, but it might be considered by some to be too little, too late. I did feel the author was trying hard to balance sensitivity and reality and in no way is the LGBTQ+ community negatively portrayed, but it serves to show how even the kindest people within the Ghanaian culture had no tolerance when it came to this issue. There was also discussion of how tolerance - even in Britain - is dependent on skin color, with a white woman being more tolerated for her sexual decisions than a black woman would be.

House Girl tackles some tough issues, so it is not always an easy read. It is an insightful one, though, which will take you outside your everyday experiences and let you look at the world in a whole new way. I would recommend this book to fans of coming of age stories and everyone who has loved the recommendations from Oprah’s Book Club; This novel fits perfectly into that milieu.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

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 of running a household, according to her employers’ wishes. One of the first rules: Belinda has to forget her village and her early life.

Mary is 11-years-old, and as a soon-to-be housegirl, she is still learning the rules. She and Belinda are becoming like sisters.

Amma is the daughter of prominent Ghanaians who are friends of Belinda’s employers, and she is done with rules. The parents decide that Belinda’s disciplined and stalwart ways are the prime example for their daughter. Belinda is then sent to London to live as Amma’s companion and friend, but not without Mary feeling abandoned due to the loss of Belinda.

Amma quickly constructs barriers to keep Belinda at bay; however, slowly, Belinda is able to connect with Amma, especially with the ideas and support she receives from Mary via phone call. Amma and Belinda each have their secrets, which are exposed, affecting the dynamics between them.

I found the Ghanaian words mixed into the dialogue and broken English difficult to decipher at times, of course, and this interrupted the flow of the story. Conversely, I adored watching the girls’ friendship flourish and learning about Ghanaian culture, food, clothing, customs, and daily life.

Housegirl is a story of female friendship, coming-of-age, and claiming one’s identity. It is slower-moving, but a worthwhile effort overall due to immersive culture and well-drawn characters.

Thank you to Macmillan/Picador for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Had trouble following this story. It wasn't the words not in English that confused me as much as the writing style. It seemed to bounce around without a clear direction for me.

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 out anyhow.

The pidgin/broken English in this book is HORRIBLE. Almost unbearable, really. The dialogue sounds as though it was imagined by a WASP who has never set foot outside of their home country, and whose only exposure to the African diaspora stems from documentaries they've watched on National Geographic. The fact that this book is written by a Ghanaian makes the prose within these paragraphs that much worse. As a person of African descent, I'm appalled at the way in which the conversations voiced by Ghanaians in this book is presented. Frankly, I'm disappointed.

Even the syntax within the book is off. At one point, Belinda, the main character, is thinking about the kitchen of her new residence. She gets very descriptive, musing on how the clock on "that messier wall reminded her of cruel machines". This is the same Belinda that could barely string together a coherent sentence in English at the very beginning of the book, but can very aptly describe stylistic design on a kitchen wall? It may have been a small oversight, but it's one that is confusing to the reader and messes up the flow of the book.

One last gripe with this book - while I enjoyed the premise of this novel and the issues that the main characters were grappling with, I tend to find issue when authors attempt to write from perspectives other than their own. At one point in the book, an interaction between Amma, another main character in the story, and a man at a club is narrated as, "He a big black man, and she a sexy young sista". I couldn't have rolled my eyes any harder if I tried. There is also some verbiage included within the book talking about the thoughts and musings of a lesbian that's a lot more crude, but equally as rudimentary. Perhaps Michael Donkor should stick to speaking from the perspectives of those with which he is most familiar.

Would I recommend this book? Given the difficulty with which it took me to get through the horrible broken English at the start of the book and the horrible way in which some parts of the story are narrated, I have to say no. It's a shame, as the plot summary is very interesting and is what drew me to this book in the first place. Unfortunately, I won't be rushing to read any other works that Michael Donkor puts out.

I really enjoyed Housegirl. It was not a fast-paced or action-packed novel, rather a quiet book just telling the story of people's lives. Experiencing life through someone else's eyes opens us to empathy and deeper understanding, at least in theory, and so I didn't mind that not a lot actually happens. It held my interest and I actually really would love to see this novel get chosen as one of the August Book of the Month August selections.

I received an ARC copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I didn’t get pass the first chapter. Usually there’s something that captures your attention in the prologue or first chapter but the prologue was confusing and didn’t give the reader any feelings towards Belinda or a good enough hint at what’s to come. The first chapter wasn’t much better. It just threw you into it and seems like you should know what’s going on. It introduces Belinda and Mary two House girls working in there wealthy Aunt and Uncles home, but doesn’t describe them or the personality. I was hoping this was going to be a good read based on the description but it just wasn’t for me. To be fair I’m a firm believer in the 3 chapter rule. If it doesn’t grab my attention by then I move on because there are so many books out there to read. If I decide to finish the book I will update my review.

A very easy going read. If one is looking for adventure and thrills, feel free to skip this book. While I am tempted to say there was no story line, there was one but a very light calm story.

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 Belinda’s story as a house girl in Ghana who gets sent to London, not as a house girl but to act as a friend to a girl called Amma, who is going through some tough times.

The story has no sizzle and without any thrills along the way it was hard to maintain a sustained interest in Belinda or anyone else. I found myself thinking, ‘okaaay‘, on several occasions, wanting more, needing more. But the flatness of the terrain remained consistent throughout the book. There was a brief bump with Amma’s struggles that could have provided a respite from first gear but it was quickly smoothed over and never explored deeply enough to allow the shifting of gears. The prose was ordinary with moments of sparks and cleverness, but unfortunately not enough to propel this novel beyond ordinary. Thanks to Netgalley and Picador for an advanced DRC. Book will be published 8/28/2018 in the US.