For a debut novel, Abigail Dean sure packs an impressive punch with Girl A! This book is equal parts devastating and thrilling, and she alludes to just enough that at least my morbid curiosity was sated. This story is something that could have very easily been ripped from the headlines and might scarily be someone’s future, but for now it is just fiction (and good fiction at that!).
Our titular Girl A is in fact, Lex, who now in her late twenties has to go back to her cursed hometown to be the executor of her mother’s will. She shares no love with her mother, especially since she’s part of the reason for being Girl A in the first place. This novel switches between Lex’s life in the past and the present, along with the relationships she shares with her other siblings. It’s revealed early on that Lex is the girl who managed to escape her prison of a home where she and her other siblings, for about two years, were underfed and shackled on beds. Even though her other siblings are grateful for her escape, there is a clear amount of tension between all of them. That is of course, except for her younger sister Evie, or Girl C.
As the executor of her mother’s will, she’s decided to take the small amount of funds left to them and convert their old house into a community center. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I knew a family had been held captive in a house, I don’t know that I’d go to hang out there in my free time. But whatever, it’s a nice sentiment I suppose. In order to do this, she’ll need the approval of all of her siblings. As she tracks them down one by one, we get a look into their present selves as well as their past ones.
First on the list is the eldest, Boy A, Ethan. Since his time held captive, he’s made quite a name for himself by getting educated and then becoming somewhat of a motivational speaker. Sure, he’s exploiting their torture, and he seems to carry the most toxic traits of their father, but he is trying to be the good guy in Lex’s life. As much as he can anyway. Next up, she sees Girl B, Delilah. These two have the most contentious relationship of any of the siblings, but I never felt like I got a concrete answer for their distance. Looks-wise, they seemed a bit opposites, but maybe it just comes down to an attitude towards Evie. Where Lex had unconditional love, Delilah really wanted nothing to do with her. Anyway, by the books end they seem to come to a more matured understanding of their time in the house. Finally, she goes to visit Gabe in a mental institution. For being so young, he has been almost irreparably damaged by his time in the house. It also doesn’t help that the family who adopted him tried to exploit him for everything he was worth.
Lex herself eventually got adopted, became a lawyer and even had a really successful relationship, but it’s clear that the torture and trauma she endured is something that will follow her for the rest of her life. I found myself enjoying the present-day interactions better and thought them to be more revealing about the past then those excerpts were. I understand that there is only so much light you can shed on a story like that, real or not, without being completely insensitive, so I get why nothing was ever too explicitly detailed. Aside from her present day interactions, I was also intrigued by the relationship Lex had with her therapist. The amount that she was referenced almost ruined the twist at the end, but I still found it very satisfying.
Again, for a debut effort, this story was engrossing. Dean does a great job ripping through emotions that were probably very real, and I would love to know what her research process entailed for this book. Either way, if this was her start, I can’t wait for what’s in the future!