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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
dark
sad
I wanted to read Girl A from pretty much the moment I first heard about it, even though I realized pretty quickly that it would be a rough read, or in my case, listen. I ended up getting a lot more from Dean's novel than I had expected.
Usually when I pick my audiobooks I pick books that I could fall asleep to, that have that solid British narrator and Classics sticker, like The Lord of the Rings or Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. But Girl A does not fit that category, although Grainger has a lovely British accent of course. So instead of losing myself in fantasy, I kept myself highly keyed up and alert. I listened to Girl A while I was travelling in August, when I spent like 16 hours on the train, and while the beautiful scenery passed me by I dipped into psychological horror. It was an odd yet effective contrast, which showed that despite all the beauty in the world sometimes the darkness is still there. And also that despite all the darkness, beauty is still all around.
Lex is Girl A, an identity she is never quite able to shake despite her outward success. And now her mother has died in prison and she has been called to be the executor of her will. As she gets in touch with her other siblings we get flashbacks to their horrifying childhood, to the slow but steady creep from 'slightly odd family' to full on horror. Since we mostly see things from Lex' perspective, we only get to kind-off know the people in her life. She still keeps things at a distance and only briefly lets glimpses slip through of how deeply she cares, how often she is affected by things. Girl A is built up so meticulously that rather than shocking twists and turns, Dean creates a slow atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia that is chocking by the end. Lex is beautifully written, full of complexity and contradictions, but with so much hope and love at the heart of her. Girl A paints a complex picture, one that can be reduced to 'ooh scary' but one that has so much more to offer if you take a closer look.
While Girl A is frequently marked as a thriller I don't know if that is the right word for what Abigail Dean has written. Her novel isn't set up as a 'whodunnit', since that is clear from the beginning. While there are shocking reveals of abuse, it isn't presented in a 'gotcha' kind of way. Abigail Dean, in my opinion, has written a book about child abuse and neglect, without resorting to sensationalism, without setting us up for twists and turns. While there are major reveals throughout Girl A, they are part of the exploration of Lex' character. They are shocking because you can't help but care for her, not because Dean lingers on horrifying details. There are very difficult moments in Girl A, which may not be suitable to all readers, but they are never exploited for drama. Rather, Dean shows how complex trauma and recovery are, the long process of healing and how some wounds simply refuse to ever quite heal. Girl A explores guilt, culpability, victimhood, love, forgiving but not forgetting, and choosing how to move forward. Holliday Grainger did a beautiful job with the narration, balancing the hope and confusion of Lex as a child with her bitterness and confusion as an adult. Grainger's clear enunciation and bringing to life of each character greatly added to my experience with Girl A and I would love to listen to further audiobooks by her!
I went into Girl A thinking I would get a scary thriller, but I ended up getting something much deeper and more profound. Abigail Dean has crafted a painful but intimate story of trauma and recovery, which I would highly recommend.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2021/09/review-girl-by-abigail-dean-narr-by.html
Usually when I pick my audiobooks I pick books that I could fall asleep to, that have that solid British narrator and Classics sticker, like The Lord of the Rings or Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. But Girl A does not fit that category, although Grainger has a lovely British accent of course. So instead of losing myself in fantasy, I kept myself highly keyed up and alert. I listened to Girl A while I was travelling in August, when I spent like 16 hours on the train, and while the beautiful scenery passed me by I dipped into psychological horror. It was an odd yet effective contrast, which showed that despite all the beauty in the world sometimes the darkness is still there. And also that despite all the darkness, beauty is still all around.
Lex is Girl A, an identity she is never quite able to shake despite her outward success. And now her mother has died in prison and she has been called to be the executor of her will. As she gets in touch with her other siblings we get flashbacks to their horrifying childhood, to the slow but steady creep from 'slightly odd family' to full on horror. Since we mostly see things from Lex' perspective, we only get to kind-off know the people in her life. She still keeps things at a distance and only briefly lets glimpses slip through of how deeply she cares, how often she is affected by things. Girl A is built up so meticulously that rather than shocking twists and turns, Dean creates a slow atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia that is chocking by the end. Lex is beautifully written, full of complexity and contradictions, but with so much hope and love at the heart of her. Girl A paints a complex picture, one that can be reduced to 'ooh scary' but one that has so much more to offer if you take a closer look.
While Girl A is frequently marked as a thriller I don't know if that is the right word for what Abigail Dean has written. Her novel isn't set up as a 'whodunnit', since that is clear from the beginning. While there are shocking reveals of abuse, it isn't presented in a 'gotcha' kind of way. Abigail Dean, in my opinion, has written a book about child abuse and neglect, without resorting to sensationalism, without setting us up for twists and turns. While there are major reveals throughout Girl A, they are part of the exploration of Lex' character. They are shocking because you can't help but care for her, not because Dean lingers on horrifying details. There are very difficult moments in Girl A, which may not be suitable to all readers, but they are never exploited for drama. Rather, Dean shows how complex trauma and recovery are, the long process of healing and how some wounds simply refuse to ever quite heal. Girl A explores guilt, culpability, victimhood, love, forgiving but not forgetting, and choosing how to move forward. Holliday Grainger did a beautiful job with the narration, balancing the hope and confusion of Lex as a child with her bitterness and confusion as an adult. Grainger's clear enunciation and bringing to life of each character greatly added to my experience with Girl A and I would love to listen to further audiobooks by her!
I went into Girl A thinking I would get a scary thriller, but I ended up getting something much deeper and more profound. Abigail Dean has crafted a painful but intimate story of trauma and recovery, which I would highly recommend.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2021/09/review-girl-by-abigail-dean-narr-by.html
3.5 * it had really good parts, but got confusing at times to keep up with who was who. The overall story line was absolutely wonderful just needed some better flow and would’ve been 5/5.
DNF at 40%, couldn’t stand the writing style and the overall theme wasn’t what I expected. Was hoping for more of a dark thriller, but this felt more like a character study without the intrigue. I couldn’t connect to the characters, and each page felt like an ongoing ramble that i just couldn’t get into. People seem to love this one though. Am I missing something?
This book was really good, but there were parts that were just a little confusing. I think this was mainly because of the jumps in time and how they would happen so abruptly. For the most part, I liked this aspect of the writing, but there were times when I would have to re-read passages to figure out if we were in the present or the past. Either way, I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is Abigail Dean’s debut novel and I think she totally crushed it! The story, one acute child abuse survival, is heartbreaking and emotional but still really draws the reader in. IMO, it takes quite a mind to think up a story like this one and then write it in such an unnerving way. Dean’s writing is incredibly subtle but brilliant. She alludes to incidents and their outcomes without ever really describing them. This tactic forces the reader to use their imagination. Lex, the main character, is so poker-faced in her narration, I often found myself rereading a passage to make sure I grasped her full meaning. Occasionally this type of writing style can lead to confusion, but that was not the case here.
The story is told in present day with multiple flashbacks. However there is nary a notation for when a flashback starts. These time jumps have been an issue for other reviewers. When reading, I personally did not have any problem following the jumps. However, while listening to the Audible version, it did get a bit confusing. There is barely a pause between paragraphs so I did many “back 30 seconds” to make sure I followed the time hop. Other than that, I enjoyed the Audible version. (Note: I read 70%, listened to 30%).
The ending is pretty amazing but does not wrap things up with a pretty bow. It leaves questions, such as:
What really WAS the ending? Was it real or imagined?
Ethan...was he good or bad or just a victim like Lex?
Delilah and Lex’s relationship...what was the deal there?
And more!!
I recommend this for anyone who, like me, enjoys their page-turners with a side of chilling, dark and gritty.
I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 because I did see the twist coming. However, semi-guessing the end did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
The story is told in present day with multiple flashbacks. However there is nary a notation for when a flashback starts. These time jumps have been an issue for other reviewers. When reading, I personally did not have any problem following the jumps. However, while listening to the Audible version, it did get a bit confusing. There is barely a pause between paragraphs so I did many “back 30 seconds” to make sure I followed the time hop. Other than that, I enjoyed the Audible version. (Note: I read 70%, listened to 30%).
The ending is pretty amazing but does not wrap things up with a pretty bow. It leaves questions, such as:
What really WAS the ending? Was it real or imagined?
Ethan...was he good or bad or just a victim like Lex?
Delilah and Lex’s relationship...what was the deal there?
And more!!
I recommend this for anyone who, like me, enjoys their page-turners with a side of chilling, dark and gritty.
I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 because I did see the twist coming. However, semi-guessing the end did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.