Reading the Ceiling

Reading the Ceiling
	Book cover
Author	Dayo Forster
Language	English
Publisher	Simon & Schuster (UK)
Publication date	May 2007
Media type	Print
ISBN	9781416527640

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

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

^ ^a ^b Richardson, Owen (28 July 2007). "Reading the Ceiling". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ 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.
^ "Reading The Ceiling". The Point. Bakau. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Dayo Forster". Dean Street Press. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "52 Books for 52 Places". The New York Times. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.