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. My problem with the story though is that it meanders. For so long, nothing happens and after the thrill of Belinda’s relocation to London is passed, we settle into a fairly dull monotony that is brightened only when Amma shows up to throw a wrench in the works and destabilized Belinda’s carefully made up world. Speaking of Belinda, hers is a depiction of an OCD that is done so tastefully and masterfully, that it’s an indelible part of her, connected to where she is coming from and who she will eventually become.

House in The Girl Before designed to feel both like a House in The Girl Before designed to feel both like a

Forgive. Forgive me coming in your personal and private chat, but. Well, why you carry on like every little thing has to have answer? Maybe is fine fine to sometimes only have the questions, and leave there? There is so very much I do not know or understand. But is not causing me a rage and a heartbreaking. If someone just tell you answer, or, or even you are clever enough to work out the answer for yourself and get it, then bam: is finished. You have your answer and no more guessing and thinking. What is the use if all is finished and completed and there is nothing else left to do?" A rather lazy comparison would be that Donkor does for the multi-ethnic communities of SE London what Zadie Smith has done for the North-West. The book itself makes a nod in that direction, with Belinda's book shelves soon containing:

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Didn’t Nana and Doctor Otuo feel boxed in or too small here? Why did the cars pass right in front of the house – where was the perimeter wall? The swimming pool? Maybe. But, like, really, aren’t we all made of flesh and skin underneath it all? Aren’t we made of much, much softer things that break too easily?” I was really worried that, because of the stories of the two women running almost in parallel in the same house but three years apart, it would become confusing," said the designer. Henson hoped the house would come across as its own character 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. There are plenty of bright spots in the novel. As Donkor worked toward the climax, his prose became more rich and detailed. Even more introspective from the perspective of Belinda. Some description of both Kumasi and London are good, but could have been more colorful. Another interesting element of the novel is the whole dynamic of wealthy Ghanaians "adopting" girls from villages to serve as their housegirls. The relationship seems to be both employee to employers, but also familial. It draws attention to the issue of class distinction in Ghana, and one vehicle for a poor family to give a daughter an advantage in life.

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To avoid confusing viewers, Henson decided to employ effects that made it appear as though the women were living in different seasons. So, folks, why might Faulks have used this narrative technique in the extract we’re analysing? Can we all remember what we mean by the term “narrative technique”? Who can remember?’ In truth, it is clear that although House is flattered, he's not really interested in pursuing a relationship with Ali. However, he has no intention of hurting her.

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Michael Donkor most definitely raises many topical societal issues in Hold, relating to culture, sexuality and one’s place in the world, all extremely important subjects. Hold is a passionate debut, with Michael Donkor’s Ghanaian heritage very evident throughout, but unfortunately Hold just missed the mark for me In the episode Brave Heart, Wilson wants House (who has been living with him for a while) to move into the study which is covered in pictures of Amber. While sleeping there, House starts to hear whispering, he soon hears it in an air vent and follows it to Wilson's room where he overhears him talking to Amber. When House confronts Wilson about this, he told House that it made him feel better. House tries talking to his dad, he yells at Wilson that he thinks it's stupid. Wilson tells Amber that House is starting to get better. Hold, later renamed as Housegirl, is a ‘coming of age’ novel of a girl, Bellinda who struggles between two world- Ghana and London. She is the ideal housemaid, knows her duties and performs them with perfection. Bellinda finds a sister in Mary- an 11-year-old who still can’t abide by rules.

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In Everybody Dies she appeared again as a hallucination. When House doesn't know if he must live or die, unlike the previous versions of her, she encouraged him to live. Belinda knows how to follow the rules. As a housegirl, she has learnt the right way to polish water glasses, to wash and fold a hundred handkerchiefs, and to keep a tight lid on memories of the village she left behind when she came to Kumasi. Although House initially enjoyed having a direct line into his subconscious, he soon realized that "Amber" is evil, setting him up to nearly kill Chase before his marriage to Allison Cameron by setting him up with a stripper who wears a product Chase was allergic to. Hold is the debut novel from Michael Donkor and has just been published by Fourth Estate. Moving between Ghana and London, Hold is described as ‘an intimate, moving, powerful coming-of-age novel’, telling the story of Belinda, a young Ghanaian who finds herself living in London, so utterly different from her life as a housegirl in Ghana. It used to be nice.’ Nana sighed, put down her Gulder. ‘Past. We have to use past tense because is now lost and gone, you get me? As if in the blinking of a cloud of some smoke she has just become possessed. Not talking. Grumpy. Using just one word, two words for communication. As if she is carrying all of the world on her shoulders.'Doctor and Nana (the ‘borrowers’) say Belinda should study for her GCSEs and are appalled whenever she cleans their house while staying in London — but they aren’t all that better — they’ve brought Belinda home for Amma the way people bring pets home to help their child. In many ways, they’re just as bad as Belinda’s employers. A standout feature of F Residence is a double-height courtyard that has a single tree in its middle. The courtyard is surrounded by large windows, providing the occupants with multiple angles to see the tree from inside the house. I think given time and more independence in the editorial process, Donkor will write a novel that’ll be a 5 star read. Sadly, this wasn’t it, but I can see that potential in him as a writer. I hope he continues writing stories as deep and truly eye opening as this one. The suspect was arrested at the property but was taken to hospital for treatment to a minor head injury, the spokesman said. The force also said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbing. Hold follows the story of Belinda who is a housegirl in Ghana before she is employed to travel to London and become the companion of the wayward Amma, and the friendship between the two girls.

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Lines in the Sand Ali is an extremely attractive and seductive 17-year-old girl who became infatuated with House during the early part of Season 3. She is portrayed by actress Leighton Meester.

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Next, Ali shows up straddling House's motorcycle. After having a discussion about age of consent laws, Cuddy shows up and threatens to have her arrested if she shows up again. The two of them – Amma, Mary – in their own, very different ways , in their different times and places, had made Belinda think and laugh so hard. The issues presented in the novel are real, but the characters are not particularly strong. Belinda in particular is an Everyman character, bland and compliant; not terribly happy but not terribly persuasive that she had any real emotion at all. I confess that I gave up at a third of the way through when I was having trouble telling any of the characters apart or telling where one party stopped and another started. There was no development, no progression and no sign of an actual story. All this made harder by a liberal sprinkling of Twi idioms (yes there is a glossary).