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A review by withlivjones
A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
This book is definitely appropriately named, so many aspects of girlhood condensed into just over 100 pages and every woman will be able to connect with at least one element of Annie Ernaux’s account.
In theory, this book really shouldn’t work - it’s rambling and confused to the point where by the end even the author isn’t sure what it has become. But there’s something about Ernaux’s writing that is extremely compelling and brings all the threads of the story together. It reads like fiction, but the fact that it’s a memoir told nearly fifty years after the event makes it all the more sad.
In theory, this book really shouldn’t work - it’s rambling and confused to the point where by the end even the author isn’t sure what it has become. But there’s something about Ernaux’s writing that is extremely compelling and brings all the threads of the story together. It reads like fiction, but the fact that it’s a memoir told nearly fifty years after the event makes it all the more sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Classism