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starrysteph 's review for:

Girl A by Abigail Dean
3.0
challenging dark emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a slow, emotional, psychological drama. It is definitely not what I would call a thriller. We follow Lex and the other survivors of an intense child abuse situation (under the guise of religion), which seems to be loosely based on a real case (the ethics of this are perhaps a little tricky). The style is a bit confusing as we are launched between various pasts and the present without much warning - and boy are there a lot of characters thrown at us (so many minor characters that it was easy to become confused and lose track of who is relevant to which kid). I thought the overall setup was well done, though - we see each surviving child (one chapter at a time) through Lex’s eyes. I quite liked the writing style and found it quick and engaging, but there wasn’t much of a plot (very character-driven) and so I trudged through the ending.