A’isha Nasir is a Nigerian teenager who has been charged with adultery and sentenced to death. Sophie MacNeil is an ambitious young Canadian journalist who meets A’isha and writes an impassioned article about her plight. But when the article sets off waves of outrage and violence, Sophie is forced to come to terms with the naivete with which she approached the story. Who can – and should – tell a story? What happens when one speaks on behalf of another?

Speechless is a stunning novel of justice, witness, and courage. In luminous prose, Anne Simpson explores the power of words, our responsibility for them, and the ways they affect others in matters of life and death.