Girl A ties with My Dark Vanessa as the best novel I've read in 2020. Both offer a dramatically different portrayal of survivors of abuse and the impact on a person's life afterwards. I liked Girl A because it didn't focus or glamorise the abuse, it didn't feel like another misery porn novel but really forces the reader to think about how much we really see, when we see people. How little we can know about what's happening behind closed doors and how doing nothing is in some situations, a form of abuse - particular the mother in this case.

It is an unbelievably upsetting book to read but most of that is because of what is not said or seen, but what our minds fill in, how we can empathise about how we might feel, being in those situations and how upsetting it is to contemplate such horrors being done to children.

It made me think a lot about how people fall through the gaps and are vulnerable to others who prey on the vulnerabilities of those people.

And also about recovery - and how that's not linear but more cyclical and multi branched. And sometimes we lie to ourselves because the truth is too awful to contemplate.

This novel broke my heart and I can't wait to read something else by Abigail Dean

Girl A was the brave one, the clever one, the one most likely to survive. We follow her, as an adult, as she navigates the new landscape created by the death of her mother. Told in a compelling combination of present and past, we gradually meet the other siblings and hear something of their story. The complexities of guilt, survival and forgiveness are explored without undue authorial voice - each character is presented to us as a real person with no overtones of sainthood or pathos, rather they are all survivors who have done what they need to do to survive. It is difficult to describe this book. It isn’t a thriller, although the feeling that something, some revelation, is coming is always there. It isn’t crime, although crimes are certainly committed. It isn’t a ghoulish exposition of abuse, although the abuse is not glossed over. What is is, is utterly compelling. The writing is beautiful, intimate, and fascinating. I can genuinely say that I could not put this book down - thank goodness I started it on a Saturday because I couldn’t go to bed until I’d finished it. An incredible book.

Girl A is not an easy read, but it’s a fascinating one.
At the age of fifteen our main character, Lex, fled her home - dubbed the ‘House of Horrors’ by the press - and then people learn the shocking truth about her home life. Now a successful lawyer, Lex has some understandable issues and things she does to protect herself from the trauma she lived through. These become more apparent when she is asked to be the executor of her mother’s will.
As Lex deals with the realities of managing an estate of someone who was complicit in her suffering years of neglect and abuse, we see her fracture.
Alongside the focus on Lex in her present, we also learn of the gradual decline in her family situation which, ultimately, resulted in the deaths of some of her siblings and their enduring mental and emotional scars. It’s hard to feel sympathy for the adults in this, but there is an attempt to help us to understand the way this situation developed and to get into the head of the main perpetrators.
I was pleased that the author chose to not dwell on the abuse hinted at. Seen through Lex’s eyes it seemed to be a way of trying to come to terms with her feelings for those she’s interacting with now. While I came to admire Alex’s resolve and courage, it was clear that she was a long way from okay. Her relationship with her older brother, Ethan, was a difficult one and only felt more fragile once we learned of his role in events.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for granting me access to this in advance of publication, and while it’s not a pleasant read it is definitely highly recommended.

GIRL A felt special as soon as I’d read the first chapter. I had this feeling in my gut which I had when I read MY DARK VANESSA and ROOM. It’s one of those books that’s so powerful, it knocks you over with full force. I had read the premise, so I waited for a time when I could give it my full attention. It’s written with such a perceptive eye to detail and the human condition. I really couldn’t put it down. I stayed up sooooo late on Wednesday just to finish it. It’s so gripping
and absorbing. The writing really packs an emotional punch and I felt this sense of dread watching this family lose control and fall into the darkness. Lexi who is Girl A, escaped the ‘House of Horrors’ and her narrative explores the impact of childhood trauma. Abigail slowly peels back the layers to these complex characters who were full of light and shade. Some parts were shocking and horrifying to read, and others were tender and showed a true story of survival. There were twists to the tale which I wasn’t expecting. This review is so scatty but sometimes, a book just makes you feel so much that it can be hard to put it down into words. GIRL A is a book that I won’t forget. 💛

What an intense read! Totally gripping, well-written, and harrowing and uplifting in equal measure. Very interested to see what Abigail Dean writes next.

I know I won't be alone in being sceptical about books which are heralded as the biggest thing months before publication, and yet with this book, the publishing world has got it exactly right. It's hard to believe that Girl A is a debut novel, with a depth and style which shows that Dean has a true talent for writing. It is fast-paced and utterly impossible to put down, and yet there were also times where the tension was too much, and I had to pull myself away, just for a second, to remind myself that it wasn't real. But, in a way, it is, for how many children live with and through such abuse? The horrifying trauma that the Gracie children lived through is described in a way which does not feel gratuitous, and draws attention to the fine line between being a victim and becoming an abuser.

I particularly enjoyed the way it was written, with a mixture of the past in the House of Horrors and the present storyline. The structure was somewhat confusing, and I don't believe this was by accident. As someone who lives with past trauma, it is a case of living with it, seeing it side-by-side with your present life. Lex is a very relatable character with Sharp Objects vibes. She is a survivor, but it felt as if she had grown sick of trying to survive. What kind of life is there after something like that? Each of the now-adult Dean children have processed their trauma differently, and so become very different people, bound together by blood and their shared past.

Girl A is truly electrifying read, incredibly well-written and utterly compelling.

I really enjoy thjs read. Olivia is a very likeable child & the book is fast paced and really credible. The story is well written & it is a great read.

INTENSE AF! But amazing.

It was a proper don't-interupt-me-I'm-reading kind of book, with a strong hook and an emotional atmosphere. I loved the characters and the way their stories were all intertwined, yet kept the sense that the reader was at arm's length.

I know 'enjoyed' is the wrong word for this book but nevertheless I loved reading it. It's very well written, sharp and observant and surprisingly funny in places. The dialogue is spot-on and Olivia is a wonderful side character. The subject matter is tough and heart-breaking but it was fascinating to see how each character had dealt with their past, and the shades of grey in their morality.

Girl A by Abigail Dean is being published in January 2021 and is being marketed as “the biggest fiction debut of 2021”, and “the book that will define a decade”. Those are quite powerful statements so I started the book with my expectations much higher than usual.

The book is narrated by Lex, now a successful lawyer living in the USA, who grew up with her 6 siblings in her parents house which is known as “The House of Horrors” – a victim of horrific abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents, Lex finally escaped at the age of 15 and was dubbed “Girl A” in the press and throughout the court case.

Years later, the surviving children have all grown up and moved on with their lives when they find out their mother has died in prison and left the children the house and a sum of money which brings Lex back to the UK and having to revisit and face her horrific past and reconnect with her estranged siblings.

Lex is not the easiest characters to get to know despite her narrative, however given the subject matter and emotional trauma she’s experienced it’s not hard to imagine why she is so distant and reserved.

This book will contain triggers for readers and it is a very dark and uncomfortable read at times, especially when Lex recounts her youth and the abuse she experienced at the hands of her parents.

The writing is beautiful and powerful and dark, the storyline is disturbing and heartbreaking throughout. Will it be the biggest fiction debut in 2021 and the book to define a decade? I’m not sure, but I would recommend it to those who enjoy the darker side of fiction.

well written book tells the story of Lexi who escapes a house of horrors, followed by all siblings being adopted
by separate families, now they have to come to terms with past and making peace with her siblings. A dark gripping story.

I have been pendulum-ing between three and four stars, so I’ll compromise at 3.5. This was a well-told, horrifying and heartbreaking book about the damage human beings can do to each other, even their own children. It was about broken people who broke others in turn. Abigail Dean is undoubtedly a gifted storyteller, and there were places where the turn of phrase made you want to go back and read again.
On the other hand, it was also a difficult book to read, and not because of the content. Heck, I requested to read It because of the plot, so I’d fully expected (and wanted) the horrors that lay within, and that way it didn’t disappoint. The narration going back and forth in multiple timelines, all of them in the simple past tense, was disorientating. If this was on purpose, then it was a brilliant ploy.
I was also disappointed at the ending. <spoiler>Did Lex die by suicide, following Evie into the void?</spoiler> I’m not sure I understood what happened. What was Lex’s journey, exactly? In that way the book left me with the disappointment that many literary novels do by not having closure. Despite all the twists and turns, I wasn’t sure where we’d ended up.
That said, I expect the book to do well, and I will certainly read more of Abigail Dean.
(Review copy from NetGalley)

I've always had a morbid fascination for the type of scenario that is depicted within Girl A, and this dramatisation did not disappoint. The book is beautifully written, and it's subject matter is sensitively handled, no mean feat for a story that often leads itself to sensationalism, in the real-life press at least. If I had one negative, it would be that there wasn't much of a sense of location, but perhaps that was intentional to make it more universal? I will be recommending it everyone though.

Wow, this is a haunting read for sure, very dark and disturbing. What those 6 kids went through is soul destroying and so I’m glad this book was about their survival! You’ll go through every emotion possible with this one and it’s gripping, not in a thriller sense but you just can’t stop reading it.

A book for 2020 that’s a must read

Simply fantastic. Alexandra Gracie, Girl A, this book tells the story of her abusive childhood. “Lex” is a deeply damaged character and the author brings her to life so well. We, as readers want only the best for Lex and although her very public history and her future seem very clear at the beginning of the book, all is not what it seems. This book had twists that sprung out at me from nowhere. I loved the relationships between Lex and her siblings, both good and bad and how they changed as they got older.
Abigail Dean has such a talent at scene setting, I can picture the rooms in the house as clearly as if I had watched them on a show, the dirt and decay, the noises and the silence.
This is a gripping piece of writing and I am sure it will be very successful on publication

Girl A is the story of Lex. Abused and neglected with her siblings as a child she is now a hot shot lawyer in New York. She is successful and has built a new life for herself. This is the story of her going back to her family home after her mother's death in prison. She meets her siblings in turn and you find out her back story very slowly.
Each child has dealt with their shared history differently and they a have a different view on what happened and why.
This book is about family more than anything and shared experiences. The damage that trauma does and how the mind and body can overcome this but how childhood trauma can embed itself inside and always be present.
I think it's a great book and would be a great book club read.

Highly recommended read !

Lex is a high powered New York Lawyer, but her past comes back to visit here when her mother dies in prison. She was one of 6 children who grew up in a House of Horrors, and became famous as 'Girl A' when she managed to escaper and alert the authorities to the neglect and abuse her and her siblings were facing.

Named as executor on her mother's will, Lex has to come back to England to sort out her mother's affairs, check in on her siblings and confront her past. A great, read - very dark and absorbing story that will shake you to your core.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of the book to review.

Girl A by Abigail Dean a soul crushing five-star read. I finished this one well over a week ago, but I just couldn’t get the words to come out. Lex was a deep and difficult to get to grips with, but honestly the more you read, the more you understand where she is coming from and you get to understand her without actually knowing her, it just showed how great the author writes as you don’t need to know her to understand why she is the person she is. The time line in this story adds more depth as well the flicker between the past and the present drags you to each time, having you think of your life at the time and how you would cope in their shoes. The one thing that I both loved and struggled with was the abuse, it was glossed over so it was good as it means more people can enjoy this thrilling story without getting triggered, but I felt that a little more detail would have been good, not full on gore, just a little explanation. The neglect was well described and very clear, I know some people will just feel this is pure fiction and it is in this case, but this is reality for some people as well. I am sure this is one of those novels that will stay with me, I will be able to tell you in 20 years if someone brings this story up where I was and what I was listening to, what I was eating, it has a special power to it, I have a terrible memory, but there are certain books that stay and they bring back that moment so vividly you can taste the air and this is one of those books.

After being in something of a reading funk where I couldn't seem to commit to anything I started, this book hooked me from it's opening pages and I soon found myself snatching any moment I could to get back to the story! It's so well written, with ambiguity throughout about how much we can really rely on Girl A's account given the level of trauma she has sustained. Each family member is a complex and nuanced character and offer the reader much to think about...in fact it reads like a thinking person's thriller and would be an excellent choice for a reading group. A really impressive debut.

Girl A is Lex, now a successful New York lawyer, who returns to her childhood home in England when her mother dies. She is one of six siblings who suffered severe abuse and neglect when they were children but Lex escaped. The novel in the present explores the long-lasting psychological effects on them all with flashbacks to their past.

This is a multi-layered bleak story that I sometimes found difficult but the writing kept me turning the pages. Girl A is not a relaxing read but it is realistic, reminiscent of true-life experiences eg the Fred and Rose West House of Horrors in Gloucester.

The book will probably appeal to readers who liked Room. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK for the opportunity to read and review it.