Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Another brilliant tale from the consistently good Edna O Brien. Her sharp take on the suffering of the girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram, as ever the novel brims with visceral imagery, evoking an emotional reaction in the reader. We are made to think about what these women and girls are going and have gone through (a common theme in her writing) and we feel quite possibly uncomfortable at the story being presented, while also captivated due to her storytelling prowess.

In one word: excellent! The story of a young girl captured by jihadis but after she is able to flee her ordeal is far from over. Harrowing, heartbreaking and important.

Kudos to Ms O'Brien for writing this book. Girl is incredibly well researched and written. O'Brien's passion for the subject comes through in the text. In the West, the activities of the Boko Haram get all to readily sweep under the carpet, and this was certainly a good medium to bring them to light.

Girl’ is the story of Maryam, a teenage girl who along with her friends, is kidnapped from her school by Boko Haram. They are taken to a remote and subjected to activities that stop short of belonging in a horror novel. The story, of course, doesn't stop there, or continue to focus on what the Maryam endured after her return, but looks at the way society responds to the events or fails to, in this case.

The novel makes for a harrowing read in many places. Although its tone is almost impersonable, as well as its distant touch which makes it difficult to get close to the characters, I personally appreciated the style. It may have been a little too much to continue with otherwise.

Definitely an important book that deserves to be read.

With thanks to Netgalley and Faber for the ARC.

The trouble with this novel is that although its intentions are admirable it doesn’t quite manage to make the protagonist come alive as a fully-fledged character. It was always going to be difficult for O’Brien to get inside the thoughts and emotions of a traumatised Nigerian teenager, and up to a point she does a good job, but for much of the book Maryam sounds too much like a western girl whose vocabulary is English (tittle-tattle) and too advanced for her age (morass). The book is clearly well-researched, based on the two trips O’Brien made to Nigeria and the many interviews she had there. The authenticity of the story doesn’t seem to be in doubt. It is narrated by Maryam whom we follow throughout her abduction by Boko Haram and her return to her community. It’s a harrowing tale, particularly after her return when her rejection by her family is heart-breaking. The violence is not overplayed, and in fact is largely depicted in quite a measured and dispassionate way. But Maryam seems too much of an amalgam to really relate to and I never became fully immersed in her world. It sometimes felt that O’Brien felt compelled to put in every bit of her research to the detriment of the novel’s focus. The narrative switches constantly between past and present tense, sometimes in the same sentence, and I found this irritating – although I note that some readers find this device disorientating and thus reflecting Maryam’s mental state. Perhaps so.
As a side note, I find it demeaning that so many reviews concentrate on O’Brien’s age – as though merely by being an older woman she has done something extraordinary by visiting Nigeria and is to be commended for it regardless of the result. For me that result is a flawed novel which is often too discursive and which failed to draw me in.