My book review of 'Girl A' by Abigail Dean

by Abigail Dean
Girl A
by Abigail Dean

Constantly hearing this book reviewed in glowing terms, I felt I had to give it a try even though the subject matter didn't appeal...

Girl A is our storyteller. She's an adult who has a career and life in America but has returned to Britain to tie up her late mother's affairs. Her mother died in prison. She was there because, with her husband, she kept her children captive, bound and in squalid conditions. He died when their crime was exposed.

Girl A was the child who eventually managed to escape the home and raise the alarm. The children were all put into foster homes and built new lives, separately. How were they affected by what happened to them? How will they feel about being in touch with each other again?

Girl A has to ask each one of her siblings if they will consent to turning their former home, bequeathed to them by their mother, into a community facility. She hopes that this will finally draw a line under their experience and their memories.

This is very cleverly written and thought-provoking but it wasn't a subject I felt comfortable reading...

Date of this review: January 2021
Book publication date: 21st January 2021