A review by bgg616
Girl, by Edna O'Brien
5.0
I had heard that some reviewers asked what an Irish writer in her late 80’s was doing writing about a victim of Boko Haram in Nigeria. But I avoided reading reviews as I am wont to do, and read this after it was nominated for the 2020 Women’s Prize long list. At the end of the book, the Acknowledgements section describes the research O’Brien did for this book, including traveling to Nigeria, visiting several parts of the country, and meeting with various groups and individuals in order to create a story that accurately represented the experiences of a kidnapped victim. Some readers may find it useful to read this section first. O’Brien has spent her career writing about the plight of women, not only in Ireland, but in Bosnia (Little Red Chairs) and in this novel, Nigeria. The kidnapping of hundreds of girls in 2014 in Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, got global attention and celebrities, including Michelle Obama and Beyoncé, took up their cause. Five years later, many girls remain missing, and the story has been all but forgotten.
In the middle of the night, men claiming to be soldiers arriving to protect a school during a local insurrection break into the girls’ dormitory. They are not soldiers, but members of the Jihadist group Boko Haram. The narrator of the story is Maryam, a young teen. The conditions in the camp where the girls are held are horrifying. The violence, necessary not only to keep the girls under control, but more importantly to keep the fighters terrified of taking off, is relentless. Maryam is married off and gives birth. Then she escapes. As appalling as life in the camp was, Maryam’s escape with her infant daughter is full of dismaying dangers. Maryam finds temporary refuge, but time after time she is forced to move on. What was most revealing was the account of what happened to girls who managed to escape. This is not a story with a happy ending, but it is a portrayal of the resilience of women.
O’Brien’s novel was very deserving of the nomination for the 2020 Women’s Prize long list. It is not an easy story to read, but it is an important one. Highly recommended.
In the middle of the night, men claiming to be soldiers arriving to protect a school during a local insurrection break into the girls’ dormitory. They are not soldiers, but members of the Jihadist group Boko Haram. The narrator of the story is Maryam, a young teen. The conditions in the camp where the girls are held are horrifying. The violence, necessary not only to keep the girls under control, but more importantly to keep the fighters terrified of taking off, is relentless. Maryam is married off and gives birth. Then she escapes. As appalling as life in the camp was, Maryam’s escape with her infant daughter is full of dismaying dangers. Maryam finds temporary refuge, but time after time she is forced to move on. What was most revealing was the account of what happened to girls who managed to escape. This is not a story with a happy ending, but it is a portrayal of the resilience of women.
O’Brien’s novel was very deserving of the nomination for the 2020 Women’s Prize long list. It is not an easy story to read, but it is an important one. Highly recommended.