Award-winning Ghanaian novelist Lawrence Darmani has released a sequel to his novel Grief Child. This book was widely studied as a literature text in Senior High Schools across Ghana.
He made the announcement on Thursday, May 21, 2026 on his tiktok page, revealing that the new publication titled 'Adu' is a continuation of the journey of the main character, Adu. He added that Adu stands strongly on its own and will be enjoyed by many.
In this second book of Grief Child, Adu receives unpleasant news and a premonition about his friend and mentor Yaro and travels to the north to look for him.
In a different culture and a new environment, loads of shocks, surprises, fears, and tears await him. Unlike Adu the small boy, who roamed the forest farms of Susa before the disaster befell his family, he is now a young adult undertaking new ventures and experimenting with strange ways of doing things. In Adu, the child of grief is no longer a child, nor is he lonely; but grief and headaches still follow him into his new adventures. Find out what became of Yaro, Teacher Ofori and Beckie, the village of Susa, and Adu’s best friend Ama. Was aunt Goma really the leopard in Adu’s dreams? Why did she hate Adu so much? How about Mansa and the secret between her and Goma?
Adu, the sequel to the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Grief Child, answers these questions and reveals more happenings in the life of the now young adult.
If you enjoyed Grief Child and wept with Adu, here is the opportunity to laugh with him and, well, shed a few more tears!
His acclaimed and widely read book, Grief Child, was published in 1991. It won the 1992 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book from the African Region and later became a selected text for English Literature for the West African Examination Council for many years. It tells the story of Adu, a young boy living in the fictional village of Susa, Ghana, who loses his family tragically. He navigates this profound grief, facing maltreatment and hardship from his aunt while under her care. He, however, manages to find hope and resilience.
With his latest publication, Lawrence Darmani has once again set the tone for deep conversations among readers and Literature enthusiasts across Ghana and beyond, creating nostalgic reactions from many who grew up reading Grief Child. This further enforces his immense contribution to Ghanaian and African Literature.