A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL by Nanda Reddy made me think of nesting dolls with protagonist Maya living a suburban life in Atlanta when her carefully constructed persona is upset by a letter from her sister addressing her as Sunny, the girl she used to be when she lived in Guyana. Which is truest: who and where you are now or where you came from and who you used to be? I was absorbed in the story, as disturbing and terrible as it might be covering human trafficking and abuse, but the wonderful writing and Maya herself kept me going. I will never forget scenes and terrible decisions, but consider it an important book that expanded my consciousness of the world and our many, many possibilities. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own unbiased, thoughts.

Maya is a married mom of two living in an upscale Atlanta suburb, but no one knows her true past (or even her real name Sunny), including her husband. One day she receives a letter addressed to Sunny from her sister in Ghana. The letter shakes her and brings back all of the memories of her childhood and teenage years. She worries that if her identity is discovered then her life, and her family's will never be the same.

While I enjoyed the concept of this one, I found it hard to read for many reasons. First, the abuse that she had to endure as a child and young woman both from her traffickers, abusers and own family was painful to absorb. Then her decisions were just so bad and misguided that I was often cringing and getting stressed out reading. However, it's an important story of the experiences of human trafficking victims and her resilience and ability to come through her awful childhood and create the life she always wanted and I found this to be an inspiring and worthwhile read. I would say this is a book to read, but be in the right headspace to do so.

Thank you to Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC to review

A girl takes on a series of identities to survive, shrouding herself in layers of secrets until years later she is forced to reckon with her past.

Maya is living a beautiful life with her loving husband and two children. When her husband drops an envelope and asks Who's Sunny? it takes Maya back to her childhood in Guyana, when Sunny was her only name.

Through series of masterfully woven flashbacks we go on a journey with Sunny as she comes to America at a tender age illegally and against her will to pave the way for the rest of her family. The book is both heartbreaking and uplifting. As Sunny navigates through life, we see her go through hardships, violence and abuse. Being alone in an unknown land we feel the weight of her choices as she learns to push through her trauma with determination and hope of starting anew, taking on new identities, to create a beautiful life on her own terms.

Thank you @nandareddyauthor for writing this deeply introspective novel touching upon self-identity and immigrant experience. Powerful, compelling and an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. An absolutely stunning debut and a must add to your TBR.

Thank you @zibbypublishing and @netgalley for the digital ARC to read and review.

This is one of the best books of the year. Haunting and modern, A girl within a girl within a girl speaks to our present moment and will make a beautiful tv adaptation one day. HIghly recommended.

An extraordinary story of a girl who reinvents herself over and over again.

Thanks Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis -

Maya lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and two kids. When on an ordinary morning, she receives a letter addressing her “Sunny”, Maya is dragged back to her childhood and thus we follow her on her journey as a young Guyanese girl of 12, emigrating to the US alone, with the weight of the world on her little shoulders. Can she save her family’s future? What will she make of herself in the process?


Review -

Maya hails from an Indo-Guyanese family and as an Indian I had so much to relate with in terms of culture/mindset. It was heart-achingly painful to see a little girl burdened with the dreams of one entire family at such a tender age and packed off to a whole new different country, all alone to live with strangers.

Touching upon the ‘backtrack’ - the smuggling racket that existed during those days, Reddy explores the insurmountable cultural shock an innocent girl endures in this situation, the incredible amount of hardships and abuse she suffers, how she struggles with the loss of her family and everything she knows, how these harden her as loses her childhood, innocence and has to grow up fast to meet the demands life asks of her.

And so, we watch this “girl within a girl within a girl”, as she sheds her sense of self and embodies new personalities, to rebuild, heal, fit in, cope, belong, escape and above all to just survive. Every time she does this, a piece of your heart gets broken.

As a Guyanese author, Reddy’s own life experiences intermingle with Maya’s journey (as heard in the @totallybookedwithzibby podcast ) - which I really appreciated. I’d like to applaud and congratulate her on this triumph of a debut that delves deep into the true meaning of identity, while also portraying a woman’s sheer grit, resilience and determination - as she fights tooth and nail to thrive and create a beautiful life for herself on her own terms.

Highly recommend you read this gorgeous debut.

A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl is the novel I have been waiting for, and I am so glad that Nanda Reddy is the author who gave voice to it.

In the 1980s, Guyana was grappling with the aftermath of colonialism, along with a complex political environment. Colonialism had left a significant mark on the various ethnicities within the makeup of Guyana. The British had brought indentured laborers from India to work alongside enslaved people, creating a society with noticeable ethnic divisions between Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese, and smaller indigenous communities, which added to the unpredictability the people of Guyana faced at this time.

Sunny gives a voice to those who left Guyana during a period of turmoil and inflation, in search of opportunity, stability, and a new beginning in the United States. Reading Sunny's story deepened my understanding of the immense risks those who left Guyana at that time took, all in pursuit of an uncertain reward.

The depth of Sunny's journey, spanning from her young adulthood to the present day, is so encompassing that you truly feel as if you’re facing all of these setbacks right alongside her. There are many topics touched upon in this book, so please read with care (TW listed at the beginning). However, I love that Nanda found ways to weave light into Sunny's many dark days. Also, it's worth noting that you don’t have to be from Guyana or familiar with Guyanese culture to enjoy this book, as Nanda does a great job of providing contextual placement. That said, I will definitely say that some of these Caribbean references had me cracking up, and I truly enjoyed seeing my culture represented on the page in a way that I have never read before.

A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl is a deeply introspective novel that beautifully examines self-identity, the immigrant experience, the intersection of cultural expectations within this experience, as well as the complexity of generational relationships. This is truly a 5-star read.

Thank you to Nanda Reddy, Zibby Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the author, Zibby Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Physical, emotional and sexual abuse, alcohol, drugs

Not gonna lie, this book is a lot. This is the story of Sunny, born into a big family in Guyana, and brought to the US under a dead girl's passport. Her father's scheme, involving Sunny pretending to be the dead girl and working to pay the travel debt off, so she can then bring the rest of the family to the US, doesn't work out at all smoothly. Of course the streets are not paved in gold, and Sunny finds herself more or less enslaved, suffering abuse and making terrible choices. So much hurt, heartbreak and violence - and a deep resilience and determination that give hope for redemption. She flees to escape her "parents", and has the support and help of a few good people, but those that brought her to the US want their payback. Sunny finds herself changing her identity several more times, and finally manages to establish a life for herself. The story is told in multiple flashbacks from the present day, where Sunny - now Maya - has settled down, married and has children - and then receives a letter from her older sister in Guyana. This is a powerful, haunting story - it's hard to believe this is a debut author. Highly recommend!

Perfect timing for this book that needs to be in the hands of everyone to learn more about the immigrant experience. I read this in one sitting and am grateful for the experience and opportunity to read this.

A story of a Guyanese girl who is trafficked into America and her journey to escape the life she has now fallen into...this book not only made me feel many emotions (and cry at the end!), it also gave a beautiful representation of so many...from immigrants to the deaf community. Nanda did a fantastic job in bringing to light so many issues that women face, that undocumented people face and what happens when secrets are kept. One day, we all have to face them.

This is a must-read for so many reasons!

Fantastic debut novel, a coming of age story of Maya brought to the US from Guyana that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Publishing for this advanced copy for an honest review.

Nanda Reddy's debut novel is a gritty story about one young girl's immigrant experience. We first meet Maya as a grown woman living in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and children, who know nothing about her secret past. But a letter from Guyana catches up to Maya and she feels she must confess the things she did to survive alone in America as a young girl. Will his love survive the shock?

We learn Maya's true story then in flashbacks. She was born Sunita 'Sunny' Kissoon with a big, close-knit family in Guyana. One day when she is 12, her father comes home with a scheme, a sweet deal to send Sunny to America using a dead girl's passport. Her name there will be Neena Das and she'll have to pretend to be a couple years older. She'll work for the dead girl's family in Miami until the travel debt is paid off. Then she'll continue to work and save money to bring the rest of the family to America. But it doesn't work out quite that way...

Sunny/Neena suffers through abuse, makes terrible choices, gets in with the wrong crowd etc but through it all, she's so resilient, has the help of a few good people, makes friends and eventually finds a way to carve out a life for herself. Who is to judge what she did to survive?

I learned about this book through a Buzz Editors and Authors Panel discussion on 1/22/25. It sounded interesting so I requested it and received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

It is the understatement of the decade to say that readers will feel EVERYTHING when enjoying 'A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL'!

This story of perseverance, strength, taking command of one's own destiny, and - above all - choosing a life of love when darkness closes in, is absolutely VITAL for our times. I hope A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL WITHIN A GIRL becomes a book club staple.

A provocative read. A heartbreaking (and affirming) story.

Thank you to Zibby Publishing for the ARC!

Girl Within a Girl Within a Girl is a powerful, haunting novel that lingers long after the last page. This book made me feel—love, fear, shame, hope, and everything in between. Through Maya’s journey, we see the weight of past identities, the trauma carried in silence, and the resilience it takes to survive. Reddy’s storytelling is both brutal and beautiful, shedding light on the harsh realities of human trafficking and illegal immigration—issues more relevant than ever in today’s world. It’s a book that forces you to see, to feel, to understand lives often overlooked. Heartbreaking yet filled with strength, this is a necessary read—one that will change you.

Have you ever read a book that made you FEEL from the inside? A book where you felt the connection, the love, the fear, the anxiety, the shame, the hope, all of it? This is that book for me. I literally felt this book in my body from my head to my toes. In it, readers meet Maya, a woman confronted with the past she hoped she had left behind. But when she receives a letter from her sister, it all comes back to haunt her and the new life she’s created. Told back and forth from the present day to various stages of her childhood, Maya walks us through all versions of her identity: Sunny, Neema, Cindy, Synthia…a girl within a girl within a girl. This book is filled with hardship, with violence and with abuse. But it’s also filled with determination, hope and starting anew. And while all readers might not be able to relate, we CAN relate the idea of all our past selves tucked inside our current version to make us who we are today. This book is NEEDED. Beyond the obvious connections to our own inner selves and the identities we’ve created as we’ve grown, this book showcases a journey that many of us will never understand unless we read this book. That’s why we need it so much. It will open your eyes. It will make you look differently at the world. Reading it will change you.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Loved the idea of this story but felt it could have been put together in a more interesting way.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It might be the mood I am currently experiencing. As I have written with other reviews, I am a major mood reader.. I may give this book another shot later on.

A Guyanese author?! Sign me up!

Where to begin. I’ve been waiting for such a long time to read a book by a Guyanese author and ‘A Girl Within a Girl Within a Girl’ by Nanda Reddy is a searing story with commentary on so many things.

Everyone knows Guyana now for its booming oil wealth. But for a long time, especially in the 1980’s the country struggled with political strife, economic policies were hurting families, and the future was dim with no opportunity. The country also faced a racial divide that stemmed from colonization. With immigration policies shifting in North America and the UK, many Guyanese began to migrate and took advantage of the opportunities to start anew.

Those that immigrated were considered beams of hope. They were seen as vessels of financial stability, they were given insurmountable pressure as the ‘saviour’ that would eventually help the rest of their family immigrate. That’s the space that Nanda Reddy takes advantage of in her debut ‘A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl’. Truly I can’t believe this is a debut because the material is ripe with so much tension that it pulses.

In Sunny’s case, her family sends abroad under a false identity also known as 'backtrack'. As she struggles to find her footing, while also trying to retain a connection to Guyana and her sister, she’s faced with the constant threat of deportation. The reality of living undocumented, human trafficking, domestic abuse, the lengths Sunny will go to remain in ‘a promised land’ of opportunity. It’s all captured the good and the bad.

Despite the sadness, pain, and despair threaded in the book (my god this book is a non-stop rollercoaster that is ominous and unsettling), Sunny pushes forward and fights for a better life. Dwyane is such a light that tied the story together for me. Don't overlook his role in the narrative!

Having visited Guyana multiple times, I knew the locations, the dialect, the food and the culture. So this one is really special for me. Thank you so much Nanda Reddy and Zibby Publishing for providing a digital arc.

Out of March 5th, I hope many readers will pick this book up. Whatever Nanda Reddy writes next, I’ll be there ready to read it.

Sunny is a 12 year old living a normal life in Guyana. Her family dreams of living in the United States some day when they save enough money and an opportunity arises that may allow Sunny to go over first and send money home. Sunny must accept some very drastic changes for this opportunity to work out and the country is very far away and things do not work out like her family had been promised. This story is about so much more than immigration and opportunities and money. It’s about a young girl having any say in what happens to her and how she internalizes it all and believes it’s all her own fault. It’s also about how she finds her way out and creates her own life - and happiness.
Thank you Netgalley and Zibby Publishing for the opportunity to read this book early.

From the publisher: A girl takes on a series of identities to survive, shrouding herself in layers of secrets, until years later when she is forced to reckon with her past.

A Girl Within a Girl Within a Girl is a powerful debut novel that takes the reader into the world of Sunny/Neena/Maya, a 12-year-old girl from Guyana who is forced by her father to immigrate (illegally) to America after he is approached by Mr. Michael, an immigration "broker". Her father is told that Sunny will live with a good family, get a good education, and earn enough money to send for others in the family. In hopes of providing a chance at a better life for the whole family, Sunny's father gives the broker their savings and Sunny is on her way to America.

The reality of Sunny's new life is a far cry from what was promised. Sunny (now known as Neena, a 15-year-old girl to match the broker's papers) is placed with an abusive couple who work her day and night. No matter what she does, or how hard she works, Sunny finds that the America she dreamed about is always out of reach. Her disillusionment and despair lead her to several bad decisions in her attempt to keep her tormentors and manipulators at bay.

Reddy writes with the skill of a seasoned author as she puts a face to the difficult subjects of human trafficking and illegal immigration. The story is told in two voices and time frames: As Maya, a wife and mother of two who suddenly finds her future jeopardized by the past she has hidden, and as Neena, the girl sold to others trying to find a way to make a good life for herself.

A dark and disturbing story beautifully told by an author I definitely want to read more from.

My thanks to Zibby Books for permitting me access to a DRC via NetGalley. Publication is 3/4/25. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Multi-layered and masterfully written you will become more engrossed as you peel back each layer of the protagonist’s story. Highly recommend.