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.

A truly harrowing and shocking account of abduction and abuse suffered by young women at the hands of the Boko Haram. Very painful and brutal, but with glimmers of hope for life after such an ordeal. A hard read, but an important one.

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.

I was surprised but so pleased to see that Edna O'Brien had embarked on something a little different.  I really enjoyed this.  Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to read it!