Girl A: A Novel

It isn’t every day that I come across a book that I can relate to so viscerally as I have with Girl A. Yes, it was scary and sad and the loss that this author has gone through is too terrible for words. All of this is very true. But I haven’t cried in a long time. The trauma I have experienced in my own life has seen to that. And there was a section in this book that caught my breath and I just connected with Abigail. I just felt like I was at the computer with her in that moment, feeling her emotions with her. Because mine were so real. This book hasn’t really been one of healing for me, but there were many quotable moments that I have taken for journaling prompts, and I used these moments for deep inflection. It’s a well-written book that chronicles the life of one woman who observes the lives of her siblings. It is a narrative of horrifying abuse that she somehow survived when others did not: “Did you really think I made it out of that room?”- that was the moment that I cried at for a few seconds before the tears dried up again. Sorry for this, but this is just such an important moment for me. And this is my review. This woman is a hero and I am so thankful to her for being strong enough to tell us, to tell me, what happened to her and to her brothers and sisters. And how the abuse they all suffered through impacted all of them. It gives me hope that there’s a way out, even after what may seem like a long time of “being safe”. I hope, in time, I will find my voice again. For now, Abigail Dean’s book Girl A is a very worthy placement. Purchase this book in whatever format is best for you, and be strong. There are Abigail Dean’s all over the place. Maybe not to the same extent, but they are everywhere. And they deserve to have their voices heard.

I woke up during the night, after finishing this book, and cried. I am not likely to forget it soon, although I might wish I could. I didn't expect a book about child abuse to be pleasant or uplifting, and it isn't. But it is fascinating, emotional, very real -- and makes the reader care a lot. It takes a brave author to think about all this, much less write it down in such an unnerving way. She alludes to incidents and/or their outcomes more often than describing them in detail - letting the reader fill in the picture. The ending is kind of brilliant. I think this book is amazing but gave it four stars because it's heartbreaking.

I almost could give this book a 3.5 stars if I were able to do so. The writing itself is good. I through 58% of the book often hemming and hawing whether to continue or not. Fact is I just wasn’t that involved with the plot,or,the characters and made the choice to move on to something else. This is, ostensibly, a book about child abuse and how it affected 7 children of a family - although what had actually happened remains largely unspoken. Perhaps that is a hood thing in this sort of book? In a family of 7 children, a preacher father and a mother who seems to have perhaps become unhinged at some point (though I am not sure about that either) only one child takes the chance to run when an opportunity presented itself. She essentially causes the rescue of the other children. Each child is affected by their abuse - each in a different way. That is also,seemingly, a large part of what drives the plot. The writing in this book is decidedly good. Ms. Dean seems to be a fine author. I kept waiting for something to grab me, for some indication as to what had transpired. I kind of wanted to see what happens in the end, but in all honesty, I just did not have the patience to stick with it….usually my opinions are in the minority but I did read some similar reviews. Some readers will undoubtedly love this book. Perhaps I just wasn’t is the mood for a somewhat depressing story right now. Maybe in the future I will pick it up again and read to the end…..

The idea for this novel could have been taken from a recent case involving extreme child abuse. What the author has done is to give voices to seven siblings subjected to torture and to spotlight the enduring psychological damage. The novel reflects on each of the experiences of the children in the family, but the main focus is on the oldest daughter, Lex, who managed to escape and obtain help for the others. Lex and her siblings were chained to beds by their parents, not allowed to bathe, and denied food. They were slowly starving to death. After years of mistreatment, Lex finally escapes and gets help, bringing the police to their suburban prison. The father commits suicide before the police arrive, and the mother is sent to prison for life. Lex and her younger siblings are sent to separate foster homes. Adopted by a policeman working on her case, Lex goes to college and becomes a successful woman. When her mother dies in prison, she learns she has been named executor of the estate, including the house of their torment. She, one of her brothers, and a sister concoct a plan to turn the house into a community center. It requires all the sibling’s approvals to execute the plan for the house, so Lex searches for her other brothers and sisters, some of whom she has not seen for years. The only relationships she has maintained are with Evie, her sister who has been her closest confidante, and Ethan, a successful author who escaped the worst of their parents’ sadistic behavior. In the case of her youngest brother, Lex has to comb through records to find who adopted him. He is the luckiest; because he was a toddler, he remembers nothing of his past. One brother is in a mental institution because of his rages. All of them are affected. Although Lex is outwardly composed, she may have the most severe problem of them all. The horrors recounted by Lex and her siblings may repulse many readers. This novel is not for those who are sensitive to brutal descriptions of child abuse. What kept me reading were the psychological depth the author gives to her characters and the feeling the author was holding back on the whole story. Mystery readers will like a particular reveal involving one of Lex’s relationships that will have them thumbing back pages to see how the author set it up. I recommend this novel for readers who like psychological suspense.

I have to rate this novel five stars for its exceptional characterisation and brilliant writing. This book stole my life for two days and I squeezed in reading it whenever possible - I got 3 hours sleep the final night and cried when I got to the twist! (I won’t comment on that for spoiler reasons!) absolutely gut wrenching, heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster. A little slow in parts but it’s a literary novel after all. I felt a bit disappointed at the end because I would have liked to know so much more, but I respect the authors intentions behind ending it this way. I’m still heartbroken and it’s been over 24 hours since I read it. I haven’t slept properly - those poor children and their stories have haunted me. I have a three year old and it terrifies me to my core to think of children being abused and neglected both physically and psychologically in the ways depicted in this novel. Not for the faint hearted, but a genuinely powerful and emotive read that asks important questions of its readers but doesn’t necessarily answer them itself. Which, in itself, speaks volumes about humanity and the big questions to which some of us never find conclusive answers. Arrrggg!!! This book is amazing. Abigail Dean is incredibly talented.. Edit: I have to add that I kept thinking the story was real and if I googled it I’d find their names and faces, photographs and articles etc mentioned in the story. Everything she wrote was just so profoundly REAL and that, I suppose, is what made it such a powerful read.

Mitreissend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Ihr erstes Werk. Nur zu hoffen das bald ein zweites Buch folgt, und noch viele. Und von Amazon pünktlich geliefert. Vielen Dank!

Every bit as excellent and well written as Girl A. This is one of the most original storytellers I've encountered.

More of a psychological drama than a crime thriller. Quite well written once the different time scenes are understood. Why do authors try to complicate their stories by leaving out names and dates? Very distressing subject not to be recommended to sensitive readers.

As a writer, here's what I indulged myself in as I read this novel on how one lives on and survives after trauma. More than a thriller, more than an adventurous escape, this book is on the parts we do not wish to talk about. The parts we conveniently forget after a trauma in our life. More often than not, surviving trauma and living on with its shadows falling on us every day of rest of our lives is more harrowing than being killed in the process of being traumatized. In no way is this a slightening of death but it is a loud shoutout for those who have survived, for those who managed to escape and live on, for those who are told, "That was a long time ago. Get over it." Lex Gracie, Girl A, has turned out well against all odds, because she wanted to. The transformations, the shame, the helplessness, the distortions and the need to survive and escape, make her full and human. The story moves forward in flashbacks and present narrative, with chapters titled Girls A to C and Boys A to D (the siblings were 3 girls and 4 boys) and "All of Us". Full of life, yet ambiguous enough to leave you guessing the worst, Abigail Dean writes about the House of Horrors and the despicable contents of it (including the state of humans in it) with great graphic penchant. I could see it playing out in front of my eyes and that is exactly what makes the book worth your time. However, once I finished reading Girl A, I was left a little incomplete, a little fuzzy, a little tender but absolutely amazed by the writing in this debut book.