A review by vjporter
The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien

3.0

This was a haunting read. The abuse Julien faced from her father (and mother, who was also a victim) is rendered with spine-chilling recall, generally from the child's perspective, with limited temporal distance. It took me a couple weeks to finish because I couldn't just sit and read--I had to take breaks. Julien's escape from that life felt rushed at the end of the book, and I wished I could have spent a little more time with her young adult self as she developed the strength to leave. I also puzzle over her father as a reconstruction: He makes no sense to me as a person, as a character. He seems kind of like a black hole; his motivations are unclear. Perhaps this is intentional. Perhaps this is just reality of how abusive people operate. Or perhaps it's the reality of seeing him through the eyes of the daughter he terrorized for two decades. Perhaps the lesson is that there is no way to understand or to piece together someone who has acted so horrendously.

Whichever, I am glad that Julien escaped.