Nineteen-year-old Ateba lives in a slum neighbourhood in the African city of Awu. Abandoned by her prostitute mother, Ateba lodges with her aunt. Caught between the expectations of her aunt, who seeks a high bride-price for her, and the violent threats of her suitor, Ateba begins to lose her fragile hold on sanity.
This shocking novel deconstructs the illusions about African women which negritude literature has produced. Beyala gives a voice to those who have learnt the emotional and psychological effects of life in the African ghetto.
Set in the grim world of urban prostitution, this book gives voice to the multitude of women trapped in African ghettos.
