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A review by vacantbones
Girl A by Abigail Dean
4.0
From reading some of the Goodreads reviews, I can tell that Girl A wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Some cite the writing style, others the nature of the relationships between the Gracie siblings. I respect all of these opinions, and I felt the same way at first. Somewhere along the way, though, perhaps about a quarter into the book, I realized that I was entirely entranced by Alexandra and her story.
Writing about child abuse in a way that entices readers without sensationalizing such horrors must be difficult, but I thought that Dean did a wonderful job painting a picture of a tragic, terrifying household. The author is able to show how each sibling responds with different coping mechanisms, different levels of forgiveness, without overly explaining why such vices are chosen.
Something about the book kept me from rounding up to 5 stars, but as I sit here and write my review, I think of a family fractured by fanaticism, complicity, and raw pain. A beautiful, ugly story.
Writing about child abuse in a way that entices readers without sensationalizing such horrors must be difficult, but I thought that Dean did a wonderful job painting a picture of a tragic, terrifying household. The author is able to show how each sibling responds with different coping mechanisms, different levels of forgiveness, without overly explaining why such vices are chosen.
Something about the book kept me from rounding up to 5 stars, but as I sit here and write my review, I think of a family fractured by fanaticism, complicity, and raw pain. A beautiful, ugly story.