Girl A by Abigail Dean
TW: child abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, religious bigotry, confinement, torture, death, child death, self-harm, mental hospital
Lex Gracie is pulled back into the orbit of her family after her mother passes away. Her name is Alexandra Gracie, but the rest of the world knows her as Girl A, the escapee from the “House of Horrors.” But with her mother’s death comes the house, the house that Lex does not want to think of. Lex and her sister, Evie, want to turn the house into a community center. But to do that, she needs to meet with all of her six siblings, no matter the memories it brings to mind.
Girl A was a dark book; there is no lie about that. But most importantly, it did not feel like trauma porn (trauma porn is a term used to describe torture or trauma that is either romanticized or sexualized). I was concerned it would feel romanticized, but that is far from the truth. The details themselves were not as dark as I was expecting, but they were perfectly dark enough to get the message across. A story like this didn’t need anything too dark; it would have been too much. The author did an excellent job giving enough details to know how awful the torture had been, but she did not overdo the details. This book is described as a thriller, and I agree that it is, but it’s horror at its core. Especially the perspectives in the past; there is no other way to describe it other than horror.
This book skipped back and forth between past and present. It took a little bit to understand what was going on, but once I got used to the timelines, it was easy to grasp. This is not to say it is an easy book; it is merely easy to understand the plot once you get used to it. This is my most significant criticism. It took about 100 pages to become interested and 100 pages to understand who everyone was and what was going on.
The plot is so dark and unsettling. But, I think the author captures the trauma well. Especially the reality of PTSD and how that stays with a person. I do not know if this is an own-voices book; I do not think it is. You can see the careful respect and attention to detail put into the personalities and the pains of the characters, especially Lex.
I enjoyed this book. I will admit, I don’t know how memorable it is. I know I will not forget the plot for a long while, but the characters and details seem a tad forgetful. The writing was good, the plot was twisted, and I recommend this story to fans of horror and thrillers and those who the novel's contents won’t hurt.