BelEdit Book Reviews
Versions of a Girl is a superb novel. Beautifully written, highly insightful and, well, USEFUL!
There are two timelines, where we follow the same girl through two different potential life paths. The backdrop to both lives is roughly the same: she has the same parents but at age seven, the novel splits, showing how her life would be lived out in parallel ‘universes’. One life takes place mostly in London and the other in the US.
It’s actually very easy to follow the two timelines because the girl has different names in each life (Fern/Flick), and both her character and personality evolve differently. She’s the same person but – nature/nurture – she grows up under different circumstances that mould and shape who she becomes.
Versions of a Girl is extremely insightful, showing the [potential] lifelong impacts of events such as trauma, dysfunctional parenting, attachment wounds and addiction. The psychology is not facile; Fern/Flick’s experiences and relationships don’t necessarily have outcomes that one might expect. And the characters are not cardboard cutouts, but complex and multifaceted.
From the description of the book I was expecting quite a bit of drama and an interesting story. And it met those expectations. I wasn’t expecting it to be so moving and even profound in parts. I wasn’t expecting such amazing writing.
Catherine Gray has written some very popular books about addiction/sobriety, which is a topic close to my heart (alcohol played a big role in my own family history, and I’ve been sober since 2006). This theme is central to the narrative of Versions of a Girl, which shows the plain awfulness of addiction and what it does to individuals and their families. But it’s also about sobriety and the joy of sobriety. In this respect, Versions of a Girl is a very successful melding of Grays’ non-fiction writing into a fictional context.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who might be interested in reading about addiction and sobriety, trauma and PTSD, family dynamics, etc. Or who might enjoy reflecting on the forks in the path of life. Do we become who we are because of our past or in spite of it?
My thanks to the publisher, author (@unexpectedjoyof) and @NetGalley_UK for providing an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.
NetGalley #NetGalley_UK #bookreview #VersionsOfAGirl #CatherineGray
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