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A review by litwithleigh
Girl A by Abigail Dean
4.0
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 4/5 | Ending: 3/5
THE PLOT
Girl A, aka Lex, escaped her troubled family home (her religious zealot father namely) and now is a successful lawyer. After her mom dies in prison, she must return to the literal scene of the crime to sort shit out. Told in a series of flashbacks and current events, Lex recounts the events that led to being a prisoner in her own home, and what life looks like after the spectacle slides away. Based loosely on the Turpin family (Cali couple that locked up their 12 kids, until the elder girl escaped).
MY OPINION
Girl A is a bad bitch. Periodt. She plans and executes a daring escape from the literal House of Horrors created by her failure father.
Abigail Dean did a great job showing her father's descent into religious mania and I loved how Lex's therapist drew parallels between her father's failures and how it triggered his cruel actions at homes. Not to be too serious but... This happens all too often IRL, and kids are left to deal with the consequences of their parent's bad days. Anyways...
This is a juicy j read for those who were fascinated/horrified/curious about the Turpin case that left us all wondering: "WHY!????" This novel is a great explanation as to WHY.
The reveal at the end was kinda sad tbh and it made me wonder why her adoptive parents didn't intervene earlier, considering they knew what was transpiring. Also, she seemed way too chill with going back to the House of Horrors... I would've shit myself 40 times. Not necessarily a huge con of the book, but she kinda just breezed back in after literally experiencing the worst moments of her life there.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: Juicy storyline, great character development of the father, well-paced
Cons: I wish there had been more character development of Girl A. Yes, she's a baddie who went from imprisoned child to tough as nails lawyer. Other than her weird on-and-off relationship with some rando, there really wasn't much explanation for how she got where she is. I would've liked to know how she got her education after being so far behind and what were her motivations behind being a lawyer after dealing with such a horrendous childhood. I also didn't understand the point of her relationship with the cheater, but I digress.
THE PLOT
Girl A, aka Lex, escaped her troubled family home (her religious zealot father namely) and now is a successful lawyer. After her mom dies in prison, she must return to the literal scene of the crime to sort shit out. Told in a series of flashbacks and current events, Lex recounts the events that led to being a prisoner in her own home, and what life looks like after the spectacle slides away. Based loosely on the Turpin family (Cali couple that locked up their 12 kids, until the elder girl escaped).
MY OPINION
Girl A is a bad bitch. Periodt. She plans and executes a daring escape from the literal House of Horrors created by her failure father.
Abigail Dean did a great job showing her father's descent into religious mania and I loved how Lex's therapist drew parallels between her father's failures and how it triggered his cruel actions at homes. Not to be too serious but... This happens all too often IRL, and kids are left to deal with the consequences of their parent's bad days. Anyways...
This is a juicy j read for those who were fascinated/horrified/curious about the Turpin case that left us all wondering: "WHY!????" This novel is a great explanation as to WHY.
The reveal at the end was kinda sad tbh and it made me wonder why her adoptive parents didn't intervene earlier, considering they knew what was transpiring. Also, she seemed way too chill with going back to the House of Horrors... I would've shit myself 40 times. Not necessarily a huge con of the book, but she kinda just breezed back in after literally experiencing the worst moments of her life there.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: Juicy storyline, great character development of the father, well-paced
Cons: I wish there had been more character development of Girl A. Yes, she's a baddie who went from imprisoned child to tough as nails lawyer. Other than her weird on-and-off relationship with some rando, there really wasn't much explanation for how she got where she is. I would've liked to know how she got her education after being so far behind and what were her motivations behind being a lawyer after dealing with such a horrendous childhood. I also didn't understand the point of her relationship with the cheater, but I digress.