Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
When We Speak of Nothing
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
When We Speak of Nothing
Buy Now for £17.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near King's Cross. It's 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local "wannabe" thugs just for being different. When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he's never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world, and falls headlong for his feisty cousin Janoma. Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself in its midst, leading to a near-tragedy that forces Karl to race back home.
The narratorial spirit of this multi-layered novel is Esu, the Yoruba trickster figure, who haunts the crossroads of communication and misunderstanding. When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new voice onto the literary stage. The fluid prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, Black, and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.
What listeners say about When We Speak of Nothing
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Frustrated
- 22-11-21
Lyrical, heartwarming with a twist..
A beautifully written story of growing up in inner London, with all its challenges. The descriptive parts of the book pull you into its world ,with the dialogue the icing on the cake.
I am not sure the narrator does justice to the protagonist's voice but after a while you get used to it and the story is strong enough to overpower this minor problem.
The twist is so subtly and respectfully treated that many may miss it,which I suppose is the objective.
Thoroughly enjoyed this!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christian Berges
- 12-04-22
slow narration of a 50yo doesn't match teen tale
the mature super deep voice and slomo narration does not fit at all to this coming of age story..hard to bear. I tried a couple of times but had to give up after a minute each time...disappointing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!