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Reading the Ceiling

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Reading the Ceiling
Book cover
AuthorDayo Forster
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSimon & Schuster (UK)
Publication date
May 2007
Media typePrint
ISBN9781416527640

Reading the Ceiling is a 2007 debut novel by Dayo Forster. Forster was born in the Gambia, studied at the London School of Economics, and she now lives in Kenya.[1][2]

Forster's book tells the story of eighteen-year-old Ayodele and explores three paths her life could take. Ayodele is a Gambian schoolgirl entering adulthood. One path takes her to university in England, and another to polygamy and motherhood.

Reception

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Owen Richardson, reviewing the novel in The Age, compared it to Philip Roth's The Counterlife.[1] A reviewer for The Point praised Forster's use of local terminology and accurate portrayal of Gambian society, especially regarding the roles of women.[3]

In 2007, Reading the Ceiling was shortlisted for a Commonwealth Writers' Prize.[4] In 2019, the novel was one of The New York Times' travel selections, "52 Books for 52 Places"/[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Richardson, Owen (28 July 2007). "Reading the Ceiling". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ Bournand, Dawn (2 June 2015). "TRIUM Global EMBA Alumna Proves Women In Africa Can Have A Positive Impact On The Global Economy". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Reading The Ceiling". The Point. Bakau. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Dayo Forster". Dean Street Press. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ "52 Books for 52 Places". The New York Times. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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