REVIEW: The Girl Before by Rena Olsen
In this powerful psychological suspense debut, when a woman’s life is shattered, she is faced with a devastating question: What if everything she thought was normal and good and true . . . wasn’t? Clara Lawson is torn from her life in an instant. Without warning, her home is invaded by armed men, and she finds herself separated from her beloved husband and daughters. The last thing her husband yells to her is to say nothing.
In chapters that alternate between past and present, the novel slowly unpeels the layers of Clara’s fractured life. We see her growing up, raised with her sisters by the stern Mama and Papa G, becoming a poised and educated young woman, falling desperately in love with the forbidden son of her adoptive parents. We see her now, sequestered in an institution, questioned by men and women who call her a different name—Diana—and who accuse her husband of unspeakable crimes. As recollections of her past collide with new revelations, Clara must question everything she thought she knew, to come to terms with the truth of her history and to summon the strength to navigate her future. (Via Goodreads)
Review
What Rena Olsen has achieved in The Girl Before is bringing something new to a genre known for having endlessly similar story arcs. The Girl Before centers around a very 'sensational' situation in this genre, a house where kidnapped little girls are taken to be trained and then sold to wealthy older men or sent into prostitution. What is so unique and captivating is that the story is told from the perspective a woman named Clara who has spent her entire life in this situation. She was brought to the house as a 'Daughter' when she was seven, eventually marrying the son of the leaders 'Mama Mae' and 'Papa G' before becoming the new female head of the operation when her husband Glen takes over the business. Clara knows nothing about the outside world and has a very warped perception of her situation and life as she unknowingly straddles the position of both victim and perpetrator.
Clara being the lone viewpoint narrator is fascinating, she is an unreliable narrator but in a completely new way. Every since Gone Girl came out a few years back the unreliable narrator has shifted from being an unexpected twist to a near-standard feature. As a reader you know you can't always trust what Clara is saying because she is genuinely seeing her world and these situations differently. Listening to the audiobook this device was particularly effective with Brittany Pressley's fantastic performance. Listening to the audiobook you are completely drawn into Clara's head, seeing through her eyes and hearing her thought process as she is forced to evaluate the facts of her life.
The Girl Before for me is that rare confluence of a psychological thriller with a fascinating plot, a compelling main character you are not sure if you love or hate and a riveting story arch that gives you something completely new and different. The last book I think I could say that is true of is Gone Girl, a book many of you will know had an enormous impact that revitalized the genre and brought it back to the forefront of the book world. While I will not say The Girl Before is necessarily on the same level as Gone Girl I am honestly surprised it has not made a larger splash in the book world. I would absolutely recommend everyone check out The Girl Before, it is most definitely worth your time.
Purchase this Book on Amazon or Audible!
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