Speechless

by Anne Simpson

A'isha Nasir is a Nigerian teenager who has been charged with adultery and sentenced to death. Sophie MacNeil is an ambitious young Canadian journalist who meets A'isha and writes an impassioned article about her plight. But when the article sets off waves of outrage and violence, Sophie is forced to come to terms with the naivete with which she approached the story. Who can -- and should -- tell a story?

Speechless is a stunning novel of justice, witness, and courage. In luminous prose, Simpson explores the power of words, our responsibility for them, and the ways they affect others in matters of life and death.

Genres: Canada

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2020

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a 3.5 - it was a story that pulled me in, but there were aspects of the storyline that I felt might be a tad twee.

Also, the lack of quotation marks and the random shift between timelines in between paragraphs was a little jarring and confusing. I often had difficulty figuring out what was happening in what timeline. But it is entirely possible that this was done for a reason that goes over my head.

Overall, not a bad read.

[Divya Kapila · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Anne Simpson’s gripping third novel, Speechless, A’isha Nasir, a Nigerian teenager, has been convicted of adultery and, in keeping with Sharia, or Islamic Law, been sentenced to death by stoning. But A’isha’s situation is neither simple nor straightforward. Raped by a man in her village, the fact that she has had a child out of wedlock is the only tangible evidence against her. After giving birth to her daughter, Safiya, A’isha was hauled by an angry mob to the police station, where the terrified young woman was badgered into making a confession. A’isha’s conviction is being appealed, but in the meantime her story has captured the attention of the media. Enter Sophie MacNeil, a young reporter from Canada working for a national publication, The Daily Leader who, with the best of intentions and driven to make a difference, travels from Lagos to A’isha’s village in Nigeria’s Muslim dominated north to interview her. But Sophie faces accusations of ignorance and insensitivity when her article about the case—which questions the fairness of a process that condemns a rape survivor to death while doing nothing to the man who assaulted her—triggers a firestorm of protests, rioting and violent confrontations among Muslims and Christians. Then, as the story is picked up internationally, Sophie’s life comes under threat when a fatwa is issued against her. Events spiral further out of control in the novel’s middle third when Sophie’s boyfriend, Felix, is unsuccessful in his attempt to sneak her across the border into Benin and then is injured in the rioting. Clare, Sophie’s mother, also finds herself in grave danger when her attempt to connect with her daughter goes seriously awry. In Speechless, Anne Simpson has written a poignant and suspenseful human drama, one that raises provocative questions of race, colonialism, justice, gender and religion. Sophie MacNeil stands in for any number of well-meaning but naïve and blundering Westerners who, assuming they know better, have caused irreparable damage by meddling in another country’s affairs: in this case critiquing a former colony’s traditional code of justice by which people have lived for hundreds of years. Sophie gives A’isha a voice, but at what cost? Anne Simpson, a consummate artist, navigates this complex, heart-rending drama smoothly and persuasively. Writing from multiple points of view, she allows her characters to speak for themselves, and, though her sympathies are clear, her firm grasp of the material allows her to avoid making obvious or heavy-handed pronouncements about right and wrong. The writing is lush, atmospheric and often comes spectacularly alive with poetic detail. Speechless is an enormously satisfying novel that resonates with truth as it draws the reader into a world of clashing moral values where, since reconciliation seems impossible, the best we can hope for is dialogue and understanding.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Anne Simpson's best novel yet. Better known for her prize-winning poetry, Simpson has written a fast-paced page turner with poetic flare. At one level we follow the efforts of Sophie, a Canadian journalist working in Nigeria as she tries to make sense of a controversial court case against A'isha, accused of adultery after being raped by a member of her dead husband's family. At another level we explore the delicate balance between cultural appropriation and the heartfelt need to give voice, and justice, to the voiceless and falsely accused. This is Sophie's dilemma, and Simpson's, and ultimately our own.

[Trina Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simpson’s characters are so fully realized that I found myself thinking about them when I woke in the night, wondering about their decisions and futures. Speechless grapples with the timely subject of power and voice, who has them and who doesn’t, what are the responsibilities and limits that come with them, and how do they change when different cultures interact. She accomplishes this with a real page turner of a novel that I found hard to put down. Highly recommended!

[Sean Paul Bedell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This moving novel engaged me from page one. It is a gripping story told with a lyrical cadence and the right amount of vivid, poetic images. The authenticity of the setting rings true in every scene. These deeply complex characters come to life in interesting ways as their lives intersect. It is a terrific read and an important, powerful story that is perfectly served by Simpson's remarkable telling of it. I loved the book, it is a beautiful and fierce story.

[Alison Marhie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read, addressing the question of cultural appropriation head on. With beautifully rendered prose, Anne Simpson takes the reader to a Nigerian context where a Canadian journalist must struggle with the responsibility for telling someone else’s story, with all the political and social fall out that ensues. A compelling read!

[Maia Stratan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like watching a bunch of random movie scenes thrown together without purpose.
So many unnecessary descriptions of what was happening around the characters, and the main plot of the story felt like it changed over and over again.
I am left thinking what was the point of this???

[Astrid]

Beautiful writing.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! Anne Simpson has produced a fast-paced, beautifully descriptive and brave novel, and a sometimes harrowing , sometimes wonderful immersion into modern-day Nigeria. Recommended!