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Dead Girls
It's 1999 and Thera Wilde is NOT a victim . . . From the award-winning author of Golden Boy, Dead Girls tells a story of Girl Power, murder and revenge.'Tarttelin is a natural storyteller' Matt HaigA quiet community is shocked by the murder of an eleven-year-old girl. As police swarm the village, fear compels parents to keep their children indoors. Unbeknown to her Mum and Dad, though, one girl roams free.That girl is Thera Wilde.Thera was the murdered girl’s best friend. Together they were unstoppable and, even alone, Thera is not it’s 1999. Girls can do anything. And Thera reckons she can find the killer before the police do.'Sometimes brutal, often tender, and always compelling' Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, on Golden Boy
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2018
24 people are currently reading
2267 people want to read
About the author
Abigail Tarttelin
7 books415 followersAbigail Tarttelin is an award-winning author, screenwriter, actress, and musician. As a writer, she is best known for Golden Boy, “a grippingly innovative” coming-of-age novel with a “radical non-binary, pro-intersex message” (Autostraddle). Golden Boy is the winner of an Alex Award from the American Library Association, a LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist for Best LGBT Debut, a Booklist Top Ten First Novel of 2013, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2013, and is published in eight languages.
Also a screenwriter, Abigail has served as a juror for the British Independent Film Awards, and is currently working on the Duck Soup/BBC Films adaptation of Golden Boy. Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, Glamour, Phoenix, Oh Comely, and The Huffington Post. She is the recipient of awards from The Authors Foundation and The K Blundell Trust in Great Britain.
For book groups, schools and colleges: request a video call or live appearance at abigailtarttelin@hotmail.com
Also a screenwriter, Abigail has served as a juror for the British Independent Film Awards, and is currently working on the Duck Soup/BBC Films adaptation of Golden Boy. Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, Glamour, Phoenix, Oh Comely, and The Huffington Post. She is the recipient of awards from The Authors Foundation and The K Blundell Trust in Great Britain.
For book groups, schools and colleges: request a video call or live appearance at abigailtarttelin@hotmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
September 26, 2018
Thera Emily Kathryn Wilde is 11 years old, three months, five days, seventeen hours and about thirty-two minutes old, when her best forever friend, Billie Brooke, goes missing.
Billie believes in ghosts, ghouls, witches, angels, elves, and banshees.
She’s sweet, kind, tries hard to be good.
Thera is smart, and considers herself average pretty - thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. She loves her family including her little brother, Sam.
The reason I went out of my way to purchase this physical book from the UK ( no kindle download was available at the time of my wanting to read this) - was all about the young bold creative author *Abigail Tarttelin*.
Anyone who read her novel “Golden Boy”, knows she how much that book got into your head!!!! I ‘still’ highly recommend “Golden Boy”....
In trying to describe just ‘what is it’ about Abigail’s novels that are soooo desirable to me - it’s not ‘only’ that she is a natural storyteller ( which she is)....
But ....
in the way that Lionel Shriver and Jodi Picoult aren’t afraid to take on ‘issues’ in their novels ...
I’d say what Abigail does is slightly different ....
Abigail is not shy to stay away from very controversial ‘possibilities’... and contemporary ‘issue’ topics.
This story begins like you might think for an average murder thriller psychological mystery. Haven’t we read books about many girls murdered?
Of course we have.
I’m telling you there is something in here- like in ‘Golden Boy’.....
that readers will feel unsettled with. Something very different.
Thera considers it her duty to find the killer of Billie. She’s not satisfied with the police investigation. She’s guided by spirits and 4 other dead girls.
Do not turn away from this book if you think it’s a paranormal or a horror type read. This isn’t typical of either of those genres. I wouldn’t be reading this if it was.
There is a fine line between doing what’s right and what’s wrong. And specially, this will make much more sense if you choose to read this book.
Very adult themes...
sexual pedophile - rape - ( without graphic descriptions)...
Heartbreaking and Disturbing...
Very well written. I read it in one sitting - lost sleep in the same way I did the last time I read
Abigail in “Golden Boy”.
Abigail gets readers THINKING and her novels are addictive!!!
Billie believes in ghosts, ghouls, witches, angels, elves, and banshees.
She’s sweet, kind, tries hard to be good.
Thera is smart, and considers herself average pretty - thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. She loves her family including her little brother, Sam.
The reason I went out of my way to purchase this physical book from the UK ( no kindle download was available at the time of my wanting to read this) - was all about the young bold creative author *Abigail Tarttelin*.
Anyone who read her novel “Golden Boy”, knows she how much that book got into your head!!!! I ‘still’ highly recommend “Golden Boy”....
In trying to describe just ‘what is it’ about Abigail’s novels that are soooo desirable to me - it’s not ‘only’ that she is a natural storyteller ( which she is)....
But ....
in the way that Lionel Shriver and Jodi Picoult aren’t afraid to take on ‘issues’ in their novels ...
I’d say what Abigail does is slightly different ....
Abigail is not shy to stay away from very controversial ‘possibilities’... and contemporary ‘issue’ topics.
This story begins like you might think for an average murder thriller psychological mystery. Haven’t we read books about many girls murdered?
Of course we have.
I’m telling you there is something in here- like in ‘Golden Boy’.....
that readers will feel unsettled with. Something very different.
Thera considers it her duty to find the killer of Billie. She’s not satisfied with the police investigation. She’s guided by spirits and 4 other dead girls.
Do not turn away from this book if you think it’s a paranormal or a horror type read. This isn’t typical of either of those genres. I wouldn’t be reading this if it was.
There is a fine line between doing what’s right and what’s wrong. And specially, this will make much more sense if you choose to read this book.
Very adult themes...
sexual pedophile - rape - ( without graphic descriptions)...
Heartbreaking and Disturbing...
Very well written. I read it in one sitting - lost sleep in the same way I did the last time I read
Abigail in “Golden Boy”.
Abigail gets readers THINKING and her novels are addictive!!!
October 16, 2019
"Because Billie was my best, true, forever friend." That's 11-year-old Thera Wilde, who narrates the novel, speaking. The story begins before Billie goes missing. We get to know them as friends at school and at play right up until she's missing and is found raped and murdered. "Dead Girls" is an unusually intimate mystery with sustained suspense and strong subtext. It brings to mind "The Lovely Bones" but "Dead Girls" is better.
Thera is wise beyond her years but not always; she's unusual but believable. The circumstances of Billie's death and subsequent events force her to deal with a new normal that's sad, frustrating and confusing to her. To sustain a believable first-person narrative by an eleven-year-old requires talent and skill, and Tarttelin has plenty of both. I'd never heard of the author before but now I've ordered her much-acclaimed novel "Golden Boy."
"Dead Girls" can be a tough read. Whatever your history, this is no breezy mystery and the more you've literally been man-handled the harder it is. Which is all the more reason to push on, as Thera does through her heartbreak and bewilderment. It was hard enough trying to keep her Nano pets alive, watching out for her baby brother and navigating the challenges of playground politics and her first crush. Now she's been forced into a new normal, trying to wrestle with grief, guilt and questions about Billie's rape and murder; Thera's pre-pubescent sexuality; the objectification of girls; fear; loss of innocence about the wider world; and the introduction of ambiguity into a life that wasn't without problems but used to make sense. And she's dealing with even more than that, but I'm not telling.
Tartellin has made Thera's determination to solve and avenge Billie's death credible. And she's surrounded her with a diverse group of children and adults, most of whom mean well, some of whom mean harm in varying degrees and many of whom confuse her, as all 11-year-olds are naturally confused by things beyond their understanding. The stakes are high for Thera because Billie has been desecrated, and they get a lot higher as the story unfolds. Thera is serious and clever and age-appropriate. She grasps some things very quickly and others not at all. This reader cared deeply about her and about the dead girls of the title, who I won't discuss so as not to spoil that part of the story.
The book is superb. Tartellin is a great writer who has pulled off a compelling mystery -- albeit a solvable one, but with smaller mysteries folded in -- that tackles big issues. Another result of her new normal is that Thera quickly comes to regard every young boy and man in her world with suspicion and fear and the reader does along with her. Before "Dead Girls" I hadn't thought much about the effects on innocent males, something many books ignore. We also see through subtext some of the effects on Billie's family and Thera's, on her other friends, the kind policewoman assigned to work with her and more.
I've never read anything quite like it and that's meant as high praise. I'll never forget Thera. She's a small, smart and imperfect child who Abigail Tarttelin alchemizes into a panoramic lens through which we see much further than Thera can. Her story is not ours, but her pain is.
Thera is wise beyond her years but not always; she's unusual but believable. The circumstances of Billie's death and subsequent events force her to deal with a new normal that's sad, frustrating and confusing to her. To sustain a believable first-person narrative by an eleven-year-old requires talent and skill, and Tarttelin has plenty of both. I'd never heard of the author before but now I've ordered her much-acclaimed novel "Golden Boy."
"Dead Girls" can be a tough read. Whatever your history, this is no breezy mystery and the more you've literally been man-handled the harder it is. Which is all the more reason to push on, as Thera does through her heartbreak and bewilderment. It was hard enough trying to keep her Nano pets alive, watching out for her baby brother and navigating the challenges of playground politics and her first crush. Now she's been forced into a new normal, trying to wrestle with grief, guilt and questions about Billie's rape and murder; Thera's pre-pubescent sexuality; the objectification of girls; fear; loss of innocence about the wider world; and the introduction of ambiguity into a life that wasn't without problems but used to make sense. And she's dealing with even more than that, but I'm not telling.
Tartellin has made Thera's determination to solve and avenge Billie's death credible. And she's surrounded her with a diverse group of children and adults, most of whom mean well, some of whom mean harm in varying degrees and many of whom confuse her, as all 11-year-olds are naturally confused by things beyond their understanding. The stakes are high for Thera because Billie has been desecrated, and they get a lot higher as the story unfolds. Thera is serious and clever and age-appropriate. She grasps some things very quickly and others not at all. This reader cared deeply about her and about the dead girls of the title, who I won't discuss so as not to spoil that part of the story.
The book is superb. Tartellin is a great writer who has pulled off a compelling mystery -- albeit a solvable one, but with smaller mysteries folded in -- that tackles big issues. Another result of her new normal is that Thera quickly comes to regard every young boy and man in her world with suspicion and fear and the reader does along with her. Before "Dead Girls" I hadn't thought much about the effects on innocent males, something many books ignore. We also see through subtext some of the effects on Billie's family and Thera's, on her other friends, the kind policewoman assigned to work with her and more.
I've never read anything quite like it and that's meant as high praise. I'll never forget Thera. She's a small, smart and imperfect child who Abigail Tarttelin alchemizes into a panoramic lens through which we see much further than Thera can. Her story is not ours, but her pain is.
October 15, 2019
I am utterly biased.
July 8, 2018
Tarttelin blew me away when I read Golden Boy; that book quickly became one of my all times favourites and I thought about it for days once I closed the cover. I was so excited when I found out she was working on a new book, and then that book was released, and I was SO lucky to receive a copy from her and her publisher (thank you!).
Thera and Billie have been inseparable best friends, practically since birth. Thera's entire world falls apart when Billie is murdered, and she takes it on as a personal mission to find the person responsible. With the help of a Ouija board, Billie's ghost, and the ghosts of four other girls, she sets forth.
I will admit, at first I was thrown off since it's told in Thera's voice, and it's written very well as the voice of an 11-year-old girl. But this wasn't even a problem I had with it, it was just something I wasn't expecting but quickly got used to. And I think it shows a strong talent to be able to convincingly write in a voice so young without coming across as patronizing.
This book made me all warm and fuzzy with nostalgia. It's set in 1999, when I was 13/14, so I was only a few years older than Thera then. I had a Tamagotchi, I was obsessed with The Spice Girls, and I remember playing with a Ouija board in my room after watching The Craft (light as a feather, stiff as a board.) I feel like I could've been friends with Thera and Billie, which is probably why this book had such an emotional affect on me.
This story really hit home as well. When I was six, a girl exactly one month younger than me and lived in the same area of my city as me, Corinne Gustavson, was kidnapped from in front of her home. She was found just a few days later in a truck yard, sexually assaulted and murdered. The man that did it got away with it for a long time (around 13 years) because three people lied for him and provided false alibis. Corinne has always stayed with me, and every time I hear about another children that's gone missing, I think of her.
Throughout the book, Thera would notice and focus on how many people were touching her. Always touching. As they guided her into a room, as a way to comfort her, just in general. I remember there was a teacher, when I was 13-14 years old, that was talked about because he would rub all the girl's backs. We laughed about it, but we hated it. Children need to be taught that they have autonomy and they have every right to say "please don't touch me".
Thera was such an amazing character, even though at times I started to question her sanity. She was making choices and doing things that genuinely worried me. There was even a point where another character flat out said to her "you're insane" -- but it all culminated to this ending. Oh, that ending. It was unexpected and infuriating and so perfect.
As hard as this book was to stomach, as triggering as some of the subject matter may be, I think this is a really wonderful book and something I would recommend to literally everyone.
Thera and Billie have been inseparable best friends, practically since birth. Thera's entire world falls apart when Billie is murdered, and she takes it on as a personal mission to find the person responsible. With the help of a Ouija board, Billie's ghost, and the ghosts of four other girls, she sets forth.
I will admit, at first I was thrown off since it's told in Thera's voice, and it's written very well as the voice of an 11-year-old girl. But this wasn't even a problem I had with it, it was just something I wasn't expecting but quickly got used to. And I think it shows a strong talent to be able to convincingly write in a voice so young without coming across as patronizing.
This book made me all warm and fuzzy with nostalgia. It's set in 1999, when I was 13/14, so I was only a few years older than Thera then. I had a Tamagotchi, I was obsessed with The Spice Girls, and I remember playing with a Ouija board in my room after watching The Craft (light as a feather, stiff as a board.) I feel like I could've been friends with Thera and Billie, which is probably why this book had such an emotional affect on me.
This story really hit home as well. When I was six, a girl exactly one month younger than me and lived in the same area of my city as me, Corinne Gustavson, was kidnapped from in front of her home. She was found just a few days later in a truck yard, sexually assaulted and murdered. The man that did it got away with it for a long time (around 13 years) because three people lied for him and provided false alibis. Corinne has always stayed with me, and every time I hear about another children that's gone missing, I think of her.
Throughout the book, Thera would notice and focus on how many people were touching her. Always touching. As they guided her into a room, as a way to comfort her, just in general. I remember there was a teacher, when I was 13-14 years old, that was talked about because he would rub all the girl's backs. We laughed about it, but we hated it. Children need to be taught that they have autonomy and they have every right to say "please don't touch me".
Thera was such an amazing character, even though at times I started to question her sanity. She was making choices and doing things that genuinely worried me. There was even a point where another character flat out said to her "you're insane" -- but it all culminated to this ending. Oh, that ending. It was unexpected and infuriating and so perfect.
As hard as this book was to stomach, as triggering as some of the subject matter may be, I think this is a really wonderful book and something I would recommend to literally everyone.
June 30, 2020
Wow. I tell you what, wow. That's a reference to the 1997 animated film Anastasia that I am pulling out now as a special occasion, because this book deserves it. I mean, wow.
So before I get to why I'm wowing all over this review, the plot: It's spring 1999 in a small English countryside village. Eleven year-old Thera and Billie have been best friends ("best, true, forever friends") since before they were even born. Thera and Billy are imaginative, playful, and clever, and right on the cusp of adolescence. When Billie goes missing and turns up murdered, it is a pivot point in Thera's life.
The book is told from Thera's point of view, and as I learned in the author's previous book Golden Boy (one of my all-time favorite books), she's really good at writing from the perspectives of children. Thera is also smarter than most kids her age, precocious is probably a good word; Thera's grandfather (a science fiction author) calls her intellectually curious. And what happens when the best friend of a precocious, intellectually curious child is murdered? And what happens when that child's parents in a misguided attempt to shield and protect her, tell her almost nothing about what has happened to her friend, and what anyone is doing about it? They want her to carry on like normal, but Thera can't. Her best, true, forever friend has been killed by a man, a pervert (whatever that means, and she will find out), and nobody is telling her anything. She has endless questions, and she will find out the answers. To top things off, Thera is being haunted by Billie's ghost, and the ghosts of other dead girls, who she is convinced want her to help them track down their murderer and enact revenge on him, so their spirits can rest.
This is a murder mystery/suspense novel, and has supernatural elements, but the focus is really on Thera's emotional arc. It's also a period piece, set in a time just before a girl like Thera would have had easy access to the internet and its resources. The girls are only two years younger than me, so all the references in this book hit home. Thera and Billie both want to marry Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio because of Titanic; they take a class trip to the cinema to see The Phantom Menace (that made me laugh out loud), and they love S Club 7 and The Spice Girls.
The greyness of this book appeals to me. The book actively undermines the idea of perfect little dead angel girls that proliferate after a tragedy like this, something that erases the girls' flawed, unique human identities, even as children. Thera keeps the real Billie alive in her mind, the one who was funny and said "poop" a lot, who liked spy games and seances, and who practiced kissing in the woods with a thirteen year old boy. Through Thera's POV, we get a pretty fresh perspective on bodily autonomy, sexism and misogyny, and the pervasive lack of open communication about sex and violence. Thera is an extreme version of what it's like to come of age in a world where men (who are everywhere, as Thera realizes) can hurt and kill little girls, and what do you do about that? She learns to protect herself, and that is also taken to an extreme, as she appoints herself the protector of all the dead little girls as well.
I ended up liking the ending, though I can see how it would be controversial. Absent open communication from her parents, teachers and the police, (the common thread between this book and Golden Boy is the way that adults fail at communicating with children; the way they keep secrets, and how that harms rather than protects, in the end). Thera did what she believed was right, and even when . I liked the contrast between Thera's innocence and youth and the way she learns about the tougher things in the world, which turn that innocence and fierce love for her friend into a righteous weapon.
This book seems to have had a harder time finding a publisher; it was published in the UK in May 2018, and in the US in October 2019, but it only has 300+ reviews on Goodreads. I can see how the subject matter might make it a tough sell, but I liked it, and I liked how the way it was written seemed like a deliberate statement.
I would recommend this if you can handle the idea of an eleven year old girl experiencing things most adults never do. I'm glad I read it, and I hope Tarttelin publishes a new book soon. (I may also have to revisit Golden Boy because it's been years since I read it.)
So before I get to why I'm wowing all over this review, the plot: It's spring 1999 in a small English countryside village. Eleven year-old Thera and Billie have been best friends ("best, true, forever friends") since before they were even born. Thera and Billy are imaginative, playful, and clever, and right on the cusp of adolescence. When Billie goes missing and turns up murdered, it is a pivot point in Thera's life.
The book is told from Thera's point of view, and as I learned in the author's previous book Golden Boy (one of my all-time favorite books), she's really good at writing from the perspectives of children. Thera is also smarter than most kids her age, precocious is probably a good word; Thera's grandfather (a science fiction author) calls her intellectually curious. And what happens when the best friend of a precocious, intellectually curious child is murdered? And what happens when that child's parents in a misguided attempt to shield and protect her, tell her almost nothing about what has happened to her friend, and what anyone is doing about it? They want her to carry on like normal, but Thera can't. Her best, true, forever friend has been killed by a man, a pervert (whatever that means, and she will find out), and nobody is telling her anything. She has endless questions, and she will find out the answers. To top things off, Thera is being haunted by Billie's ghost, and the ghosts of other dead girls, who she is convinced want her to help them track down their murderer and enact revenge on him, so their spirits can rest.
This is a murder mystery/suspense novel, and has supernatural elements, but the focus is really on Thera's emotional arc. It's also a period piece, set in a time just before a girl like Thera would have had easy access to the internet and its resources. The girls are only two years younger than me, so all the references in this book hit home. Thera and Billie both want to marry Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio because of Titanic; they take a class trip to the cinema to see The Phantom Menace (that made me laugh out loud), and they love S Club 7 and The Spice Girls.
The greyness of this book appeals to me. The book actively undermines the idea of perfect little dead angel girls that proliferate after a tragedy like this, something that erases the girls' flawed, unique human identities, even as children. Thera keeps the real Billie alive in her mind, the one who was funny and said "poop" a lot, who liked spy games and seances, and who practiced kissing in the woods with a thirteen year old boy. Through Thera's POV, we get a pretty fresh perspective on bodily autonomy, sexism and misogyny, and the pervasive lack of open communication about sex and violence. Thera is an extreme version of what it's like to come of age in a world where men (who are everywhere, as Thera realizes) can hurt and kill little girls, and what do you do about that? She learns to protect herself, and that is also taken to an extreme, as she appoints herself the protector of all the dead little girls as well.
I ended up liking the ending, though I can see how it would be controversial. Absent open communication from her parents, teachers and the police, (the common thread between this book and Golden Boy is the way that adults fail at communicating with children; the way they keep secrets, and how that harms rather than protects, in the end). Thera did what she believed was right, and even when . I liked the contrast between Thera's innocence and youth and the way she learns about the tougher things in the world, which turn that innocence and fierce love for her friend into a righteous weapon.
This book seems to have had a harder time finding a publisher; it was published in the UK in May 2018, and in the US in October 2019, but it only has 300+ reviews on Goodreads. I can see how the subject matter might make it a tough sell, but I liked it, and I liked how the way it was written seemed like a deliberate statement.
I would recommend this if you can handle the idea of an eleven year old girl experiencing things most adults never do. I'm glad I read it, and I hope Tarttelin publishes a new book soon. (I may also have to revisit Golden Boy because it's been years since I read it.)
August 7, 2020
To be wild is to be brave, and sometimes savage. Right then, I was neither of those things. But I think the terror of finding Billie entered my blood, and it would precipitate everything that followed.
So many mixed feelings about this one. I’m all for the message, just not super into the execution?
I can confidently state that I've never read ANYTHING like Dead Girls before. (It definitely gives me The Lovely Bones vibes, but Thera's precocious, tenacious, and downright morbid narration is in a league of its own.)
Reading an eleven-year-old's thoughts on rape and murder was both macabrely fascinating and just plain disturbing. Mostly the latter. Sometimes Thera's voice felt really convincing and had me hollering "That was literally me in the sixth grade! I helicopter-parented my Tamagotchi/Nano Pets, too!" But other times her words/thoughts didn't seem like any kid I knew, no matter how precocious—like her intuition about the murders? What? How am I supposed to believe that she just KNEW when one of the major suspects wasn't the murderer?
Which brings me to another thing: the mystery at the centre of the story is kinda rubbish. (I may have absorbed some of the book's britspeak.) I knew who the murderer was by the 1/3 point, and Thera's uncanny intuition slash the necessity of my suspension of disbelief made for a meh reading experience.
Maybe that was the point, though? Maybe the book wasn't so much a mystery as it was a coming-of-age statement /story about missing and murdered girls.
Something I did love was Thera's sense of humour and unintentional deadpan, and also her affection for her little brother Sam. I was simultaneously reminded of me and my own lil bro as kids (me forcing him to play whatever games I wanted, him dutifully going along with my schemes, both of us knowing we'd go to the ends of the earth for each other, albeit somewhat reluctantly) and also Vada and Thomas J. from My Girl. In fact, I pretty much pictured Vada as Thera throughout the novel.
ALSO: The author's intentions regarding this book are pretty freakin' awesome. In the Acknowledgements she writes, so eloquently and powerfully:
May we see [the dead and missing girls] as fully formed, even flawed, complex human beings deserving of life without the necessity for canonisation.
May we teach girls not to be obedient, digestible, and decorative, but to fight with teeth and mind and fists; to see themselves as potential victors, and not ineluctable victims.
If you want a more fleshed-out articulation of the things I liked about Dead Girls, I'd 10/10 recommend Ashley's review of this book!
February 10, 2018
I'll be honest and say I wasn't the biggest fan of this one - which is more to do I think with how I took to the main character rather than anything else so therefore highly subjective.
The premise is good - a child loses her best friend to murder, how will she and those around her cope with such a horrific event. Taking in themes of responsibility and what we learn as young women about how to protect ourselves the message is on target (I've given an extra star for that) but the execution for me personally fell short.
Writing from the point of view of an 11 year old is a difficult thing to take on. In this case I found her constant stream of thought and action to be very wearing from about a quarter of the way through. When she discovers her friends body for example it went on for pages with a lot of nothing I genuinely felt at that point that it could have been edited into a more taut and disturbing narrative. As it was I didn't really feel horrified I just wanted her to get on with whatever was next.
There were various points like that throughout, but there were also some very emotionally resonant moments where it struck me what a good writer Abigail Tarttelin is - so a bit of a mish mash for this reader. The eventual resolution I just thought was highly unlikely but it does have the benefit of being unexpected.
Dead Girls I think will be divisive. I'll be interested to see what others think and I'm interested also to read more from this author. I do genuinely think it was my lack of engagement with the main protagonist that was my personal issue here.
The premise is good - a child loses her best friend to murder, how will she and those around her cope with such a horrific event. Taking in themes of responsibility and what we learn as young women about how to protect ourselves the message is on target (I've given an extra star for that) but the execution for me personally fell short.
Writing from the point of view of an 11 year old is a difficult thing to take on. In this case I found her constant stream of thought and action to be very wearing from about a quarter of the way through. When she discovers her friends body for example it went on for pages with a lot of nothing I genuinely felt at that point that it could have been edited into a more taut and disturbing narrative. As it was I didn't really feel horrified I just wanted her to get on with whatever was next.
There were various points like that throughout, but there were also some very emotionally resonant moments where it struck me what a good writer Abigail Tarttelin is - so a bit of a mish mash for this reader. The eventual resolution I just thought was highly unlikely but it does have the benefit of being unexpected.
Dead Girls I think will be divisive. I'll be interested to see what others think and I'm interested also to read more from this author. I do genuinely think it was my lack of engagement with the main protagonist that was my personal issue here.
April 11, 2018
Me when I found out I was right about who the killer was:
Me when I read the last 50 pages:
Holy sh*t. Like... HOLY SH*T. I did NOT see that coming.
Dead Girls is a thriller with a side of paranormal (or not, depending on how you feel about Thera's sanity). Billie, Thera's best friend, has been raped and killed. It's not really a spoiler, but it's a huge TW so I'd rather say it right now: this book features pedophilia, rape and some very disturbing scenes. Be warned.
Anyway, Thera is an 11-year-old girl whose parents won't talk to about this kind of stuff, and since the adults won't tell her anything about what happened to Billie, she decides to investigate her murder on her own. I think making such a young girl the main character was a bold choice but a very thought-provoking one as well. It makes you think about how adults see and treat kids. It's an important discussion to have and this book will definitely fuel some very passionate debates in book clubs. I'm looking forward to discussing this book with my friends when they read it. Another side effect of having such a young main character is that Thera's naive ignorance of the world gives us an interesting vision of this kind of tragedies, especially when it comes to victim blaming. Again, it's a discussion that we need to have, that we STILL need to have.
The writing really pulls you in and lulls you into forgetting the world around you. If you're looking for some action-packed thriller, you're in the wrong place. Dead Girls is very atmospheric, which makes total sense since a kid can't investigate the way a cop does.
All the characters are complex. There is villain, of course, but every character has a dark side and this is something I love in books. I can't get into too much details because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but the characters are a real strength of this book. I loved the chapters from a different POV.
Finally, that ending? JESUS. That was awesome. It surprised me even though I was thinking I couldn't be surprised anymore. WOW.
Basically? Read it, but more important: discuss it. Don't hesitate to use the questions at the end of the book to put your thinking cap on.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This had no impact on my opinion.
Me when I read the last 50 pages:
Holy sh*t. Like... HOLY SH*T. I did NOT see that coming.
Dead Girls is a thriller with a side of paranormal (or not, depending on how you feel about Thera's sanity). Billie, Thera's best friend, has been raped and killed. It's not really a spoiler, but it's a huge TW so I'd rather say it right now: this book features pedophilia, rape and some very disturbing scenes. Be warned.
Anyway, Thera is an 11-year-old girl whose parents won't talk to about this kind of stuff, and since the adults won't tell her anything about what happened to Billie, she decides to investigate her murder on her own. I think making such a young girl the main character was a bold choice but a very thought-provoking one as well. It makes you think about how adults see and treat kids. It's an important discussion to have and this book will definitely fuel some very passionate debates in book clubs. I'm looking forward to discussing this book with my friends when they read it. Another side effect of having such a young main character is that Thera's naive ignorance of the world gives us an interesting vision of this kind of tragedies, especially when it comes to victim blaming. Again, it's a discussion that we need to have, that we STILL need to have.
The writing really pulls you in and lulls you into forgetting the world around you. If you're looking for some action-packed thriller, you're in the wrong place. Dead Girls is very atmospheric, which makes total sense since a kid can't investigate the way a cop does.
All the characters are complex. There is villain, of course, but every character has a dark side and this is something I love in books. I can't get into too much details because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but the characters are a real strength of this book. I loved the chapters from a different POV.
Finally, that ending? JESUS. That was awesome. It surprised me even though I was thinking I couldn't be surprised anymore. WOW.
Basically? Read it, but more important: discuss it. Don't hesitate to use the questions at the end of the book to put your thinking cap on.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This had no impact on my opinion.
May 4, 2019
‘Billie didn’t come home. No one knows where she is.’
‘Find Me’ …. ‘Because I promised her I would.’
Dead Girls by Abigail Tarttelin is one of the most thrilling, disturbing, thought-provoking and clever stories we’ve read in a while. Told in the POV of eleven-year-old Thera Wilde, we experience utter tragedy, confusion, despair, resilience, bravery, and horror. Having Thera narrate this story was genius as it added an emotional perspective which was not only -in our opinion- necessary, it also ensured that we experienced and saw an important side of a tragedy so abhorrent and what followed on from there. However, we were completely aware that this was a child’s interpretation of the events which unfolded.
‘Ask me literally any question about Billie, and I will be able to answer it, and if you asked her if I was right, she would say I always would be. If I don’t know Billie May Brooke, no one ever will.’
Thera and Billie are best of friends and in their last year of primary school. The year is 1999 and the girls are inseparable. Two innocent girls living and playing a game of an imaginary make believe world after school in the fields of their small village. The comparison made between Billie and Thera and other girls in their same school year is quite stark, showing varying degrees of maturity, sexual awareness and life skills. This not only being an age thing but also a direct result of parental upbringing and social differences. The greatest measure is when an ugly tragedy strikes. Being inside the head and experiencing the thought processes of an eleven year old girl was harrowing, upsetting and frustrating as a parent ourselves.
‘Sometimes I feel like I am built for the bad times, and that’s a thought that does actually shake me up. Who wants to be built for the bad times? To know the right place for you is a place no one else wants to be?’
The musings and reconciliations of adult actions by eleven year old Thera are quite eye opening in Dead Girls. The way in which she is portrayed is not only extremely heart-breaking and at odds with adult interpretation. It’s also incredibly thought provoking, you start questioning your own heart, morals and parenting attitude. Thera knows and is determined that she must find Billie, because she believes the police and adults are failing her best friend. Not only that, Thera is convinced that Billie is not the only victim at the hands of ‘the pervert’. She begins a journey of trying to emulate what Billie must have gone through in order to understand what truly happened. She hopes it will lead her to the predator who snatched and did unspeakable things to her best friend.
‘I must have fallen asleep because after that I keep seeing Billie, pale and dead. I see other faces too…’
“Why are you haunting me? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but I can’t save you. I’m just eleven! I can’t do anything for you.”
How much truth and honesty is appropriate to share with your child when a sick and horrific act takes your daughter’s best friend away forever? It’s certainly a fine line between scaremongering and educating. Not only that, do we inadvertently impart on our children that touching is okay by adults as a kind and caring gesture. Do we draw the line at parental touch, grandparents touch, or even people of authority? It really gave us pause for thought and is definitely something to think about and act upon.
‘They want me to stay innocent, but I suspect the time for that has passed.’
Dead Girls is a haunting psychological thriller with an element of the ‘ghostly’ which will chill you to the bone. We felt uncomfortable, we despaired and we felt helpless as we read, wondering what was true and what could likely be the figments of an eleven year old’s imagination. This story is very confronting as we know it features a reality entirely possible. We had a hard time with our conflicting feelings for Thera and the world as this eleven year old sees it. A brilliant compelling read that had us turning the pages in awe at the writing and the chilling content.
“When you found out…why didn’t you come and get us?”
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me. No one believes kids, or listens to them. I had to take matters into my own hands.”
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December 7, 2019
I am blown away by this book. I can't explain because of spoilers but if you are a fan of psychological thrillers or crime thrillers then you must read this book.
Yes it is narrated by an 11 year old girl which I didn't think I would like but it worked brilliantly.
Be warned that it is very dark and twisted; but if you can cope with that then I highly recommend this one!
Yes it is narrated by an 11 year old girl which I didn't think I would like but it worked brilliantly.
Be warned that it is very dark and twisted; but if you can cope with that then I highly recommend this one!
August 5, 2020
3.5/5
July 20, 2019
MY FAVOURITE NOVEL
I absolutely loved reading every single page of this new novel Dead Girls by Abigail Tarttelin. I read Golden Boy a few years ago giving it five stars on Goodreads. I'm definitely giving Dead Girls five stars.
What I liked about this story is that eleven-year-old Thera, Billie and some of their other friends play with the Ouija board. After Thera and her friends used the Ouija board, Thera's best true forever friend Billie disappears. Once again Thera uses the Ouija board to try to contact Billie to find out where she is. Unfortunately Thera finds Billie dead. It is now Thera's duty tracking down her best,true forever friends killer. Since playing with the Ouija board Thera can hear voices of ghosts of other girls that have been murdered. A lot happens in this story where Thera try's out a lot of different situations to catch Billie's killer. I was heartbroken by the ending, but some stories just don't always finish on a happy ending.
I'm totally obsessed with reading and watching films about people playing with the Ouija board, although I would never use one myself. Has anyone used a Ouija board I would love to know your story?
May 22, 2018
BLURB
When her best friend Billie is found murdered, eleven-year-old Thera - fearless and forthright - considers it her duty to find the killer. Aided by an Ouija board, Billie's ghost, and the spirits of four other dead girls, she's determined to succeed. The trouble with Thera, though, is that she doesn't always know when to stop - and sometimes there's a fine line between doing the right thing and doing something very, very bad indeed. Tense, visceral and thought-provoking, Dead Girls is the new novel from Abigail Tarttelin, the critically acclaimed author of Golden Boy.
MY THOUGHTS
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. After the first few chapters, I thought it read like a YA book. and in many ways it does. I didn't let this put me off and I'm glad I continued. The story and the writing was a pleasure to read. The author creates a tense atmosphere along with a very quizzical plot.
This is no high-octane thriller, though. It's a book which subtly draws you in and doesn't let go and retains plenty of tension throughout.
A cracking read! 4*
When her best friend Billie is found murdered, eleven-year-old Thera - fearless and forthright - considers it her duty to find the killer. Aided by an Ouija board, Billie's ghost, and the spirits of four other dead girls, she's determined to succeed. The trouble with Thera, though, is that she doesn't always know when to stop - and sometimes there's a fine line between doing the right thing and doing something very, very bad indeed. Tense, visceral and thought-provoking, Dead Girls is the new novel from Abigail Tarttelin, the critically acclaimed author of Golden Boy.
MY THOUGHTS
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. After the first few chapters, I thought it read like a YA book. and in many ways it does. I didn't let this put me off and I'm glad I continued. The story and the writing was a pleasure to read. The author creates a tense atmosphere along with a very quizzical plot.
This is no high-octane thriller, though. It's a book which subtly draws you in and doesn't let go and retains plenty of tension throughout.
A cracking read! 4*
February 13, 2018
First things first, this book has triggers in it.
I received an ARC of this in January, but was not warned of its potentially triggering content of rape and pedophilia.
That aside, it was an incredibly chilling story.
Children are terrifying. Don't have them, don't go near them, just avoid them.
I won't ruin the story but it has many twists and turns and the conclusion is akin to Gone Girl in terms of how angry you will be.
I really enjoyed how much I could relate to the protagonists world. I grew up in the British countryside and had the toys that they had so it was really fun to remember it all.
However, I found the lead character of Thera to be somewhat unrealistic. The way she flits between very childish and very adult language is too much of a juxtaposition. Then her whole reaction to Billie's death doesn't seem real either. Its too down played, this is her best friend! I wish there had been a bit more Ouija board action as I was preparing for an intense ghost story, sadly this was more of a thriller.
But I have given this story 4 stars as it simply stunned me and kept me up all night! Absolutely horrifying.
I received an ARC of this in January, but was not warned of its potentially triggering content of rape and pedophilia.
That aside, it was an incredibly chilling story.
Children are terrifying. Don't have them, don't go near them, just avoid them.
I won't ruin the story but it has many twists and turns and the conclusion is akin to Gone Girl in terms of how angry you will be.
I really enjoyed how much I could relate to the protagonists world. I grew up in the British countryside and had the toys that they had so it was really fun to remember it all.
However, I found the lead character of Thera to be somewhat unrealistic. The way she flits between very childish and very adult language is too much of a juxtaposition. Then her whole reaction to Billie's death doesn't seem real either. Its too down played, this is her best friend! I wish there had been a bit more Ouija board action as I was preparing for an intense ghost story, sadly this was more of a thriller.
But I have given this story 4 stars as it simply stunned me and kept me up all night! Absolutely horrifying.
October 4, 2018
I’m rounding this up to 5 stars from a solid 4.5. This will not be for everyone. It is deeply disturbing and makes for an uncomfortable read. Trigger warnings galore. Yet, I was riveted, I had to know what happened. Thera is such an intriguing character, and while some of her actions are far fetched, I have a feeling she will stay with me for a while yet.
nevermind
August 21, 2020I'm not loving the fact that this is narrated by an eleven-year-old. It's pretty convincing, but I'm not feeling it. DNF for now at 16%
December 17, 2023
According to GR, I have read a total of 1,111 books, yay me! Let's start this - consequently quite special - review by underlining how humble I am in general:
I KNEW FROM THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THAT PERSON THAT THEY WERE THE KILLER.
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Me when the end of the book was fast approaching:
I KNEW FROM THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THAT PERSON THAT THEY WERE THE KILLER.
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Me when the end of the book was fast approaching:
April 16, 2018
This is a book that really should come with some kind of trigger warning as it explores topics that are hard to read about (sexuality, mental health, paedophilia, rape and murder) and I'd hate for someone to pick this up without some fore-knowledge of the content. However, it also forces us to confront some of our assumptions about children, sexuality and gender issues in a way that cannot - and really should not - be ignored.
Our narrator, Thera, is eleven when her best friend, Billie, is murdered.
We are placed firmly in Thera's head and we follow the girls on their last night together as they play in their seemingly idyllic rural home. But Billie never makes it home and we watch as Thera learns of her friend's disappearance.
For reasons that she reveals as we follow her story, Thera blames herself and comes to believe that she has to avenge her best friend's murder. The girls have experimented with a ouija board, and Thera has a fierce intelligence that is cultivated by her family but which is feared by her peers (though they can't articulate it). When Thera becomes convinced that dead girls are talking to her and Billie's spirit is guiding her to find the murderer, it's hard to decide the extent to which we trust this narrator.
This is a character that is firmly straddling the adult and child worlds: with a wide vocabulary and very adult turn of phrase one moment, and then very innocent and naive the next. While I think this is deliberate, and it forces us to consider how we treat children of this age and the way they are influenced by events around them, it occasionally grates. Like many adult readers will probably be, I was not entirely comfortable hearing the characters' views on sex and sexuality. However, I do think that the novel raises some crucial issues surrounding how we talk to our children about how they present themselves and the potential harm we may be doing to our children in trying to shield them from some of the less pleasant aspects of life.
There was a rather confusing element to the story that does become clear towards the end, but I was stunned by the direction in which this went. Dark, utterly gripping and very very scary.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
Our narrator, Thera, is eleven when her best friend, Billie, is murdered.
We are placed firmly in Thera's head and we follow the girls on their last night together as they play in their seemingly idyllic rural home. But Billie never makes it home and we watch as Thera learns of her friend's disappearance.
For reasons that she reveals as we follow her story, Thera blames herself and comes to believe that she has to avenge her best friend's murder. The girls have experimented with a ouija board, and Thera has a fierce intelligence that is cultivated by her family but which is feared by her peers (though they can't articulate it). When Thera becomes convinced that dead girls are talking to her and Billie's spirit is guiding her to find the murderer, it's hard to decide the extent to which we trust this narrator.
This is a character that is firmly straddling the adult and child worlds: with a wide vocabulary and very adult turn of phrase one moment, and then very innocent and naive the next. While I think this is deliberate, and it forces us to consider how we treat children of this age and the way they are influenced by events around them, it occasionally grates. Like many adult readers will probably be, I was not entirely comfortable hearing the characters' views on sex and sexuality. However, I do think that the novel raises some crucial issues surrounding how we talk to our children about how they present themselves and the potential harm we may be doing to our children in trying to shield them from some of the less pleasant aspects of life.
There was a rather confusing element to the story that does become clear towards the end, but I was stunned by the direction in which this went. Dark, utterly gripping and very very scary.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
October 7, 2019
This book has me a little grumbly.
I was so intrigued by the plot, but the actual story takes sooooo long to get there. It’s a kind of fits-and-starts slow build up, which can be fine, but even after we finally know what happens to a certain character, it stays sluggish.
Our main character is about 11 years old. I have an 11 year old. I love her dearly and find her impossibly clever (yeah, mom brag whatever), but this particular 11 year old was so full of middle-school angst about BFFs and the cute boy and parent drama – when all I wanted to know about was murder and our Dead Girls. I think that Thera was supposed to be that intrepid adventure girl, but really she was kind of…blah and basic. Even when she does some things that are weird or out of character, she's just not that interesting.
This took me entirely too long to read and, in the end, I wasn’t very satisfied.
Your mileage may vary.
I was so intrigued by the plot, but the actual story takes sooooo long to get there. It’s a kind of fits-and-starts slow build up, which can be fine, but even after we finally know what happens to a certain character, it stays sluggish.
Our main character is about 11 years old. I have an 11 year old. I love her dearly and find her impossibly clever (yeah, mom brag whatever), but this particular 11 year old was so full of middle-school angst about BFFs and the cute boy and parent drama – when all I wanted to know about was murder and our Dead Girls. I think that Thera was supposed to be that intrepid adventure girl, but really she was kind of…blah and basic. Even when she does some things that are weird or out of character, she's just not that interesting.
This took me entirely too long to read and, in the end, I wasn’t very satisfied.
Your mileage may vary.
September 2, 2018
Hmm, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as other readers apparently did. Parts of it are certainly very fascinating and raise interesting questions about gender, fear and the process of growing up. However, I simply disliked the 11-year old protagonist and I didn’t find her character believable either. She’s a weird mixture of being ultra mature and ultra childish at the same time. Her voice did not seem genuine to me (more like how an adult would image a smart, but weird child to be like).
Lastly, the police interview at the end was utterly unbelievable. I sincerely hope that the British police would not question child suspects in a murder case without having a parent or a lawyer present.
Lastly, the police interview at the end was utterly unbelievable. I sincerely hope that the British police would not question child suspects in a murder case without having a parent or a lawyer present.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2019
Holy hell... it's been a while since a book has left me with my jaw hanging open.
When I first started this book I was sure I wasn't going to enjoy it. It's told from an 11 year old girls point of view. Thera Wilde is a spirited and imaginative young girl growing up in the 90's when parents were more relaxed, letting their children wonder off alone at ease knowing they'll be just fine. It was a different world to what our children will grow up in today where we tend to not let them out of our sight.
When Thera's best friend, Billie, goes missing and her body is found shortly afterwards, it's a big wake up call for everyone. She was raped and murdered.
What initially turned me off this book was that I thought it was going to take a very different direction to what I'm comfortable with. Little Thera starts seeing dead girls and hearing voices after playing with an Ouija board. She believes they are ghosts and she wants to help them and their families so she starts investigating her friends murder on her own.
I found the narration slightly unbelievable at times when Thera seemed much smarter than her age. It chilled me but also made me think of other 11 year old children and realise that isn't the way they think or talk... but then at other times she'd say some things about her nano pet and become a regular child again which threw me about a bit. Her character was quite frankly fascinating because you really question her mental state. Was there really a paranormal element to the book or was she seeing things because she was insane? These are the questions that start to surface as you keep turning the pages.
To me another problematic point is that the plot is a bit ridiculous but I'm so glad I persevered because at some stage with book pulled me right in and wouldn't let me go until I finished the very last page!!
I really enjoyed how unique this story is. While it may seem like just another thriller / murder mystery novel it really has its own voice and feel to it that I've never experienced in a book before.
Books containing sexual contents against children is something I find very hard to swallow but as is the case with Lolita, I found this book tackled it excellently. While it was still disturbing it wasn't overly graphic or detailed.
Anyone born in the 90's is sure to get nostalgic while reading Dead Girls. This was an emotional, infuriating and brilliant read that has an ending with a HUGE shock factor.
Trigger warning for sexual abuse, pedophiles and violence.
When I first started this book I was sure I wasn't going to enjoy it. It's told from an 11 year old girls point of view. Thera Wilde is a spirited and imaginative young girl growing up in the 90's when parents were more relaxed, letting their children wonder off alone at ease knowing they'll be just fine. It was a different world to what our children will grow up in today where we tend to not let them out of our sight.
When Thera's best friend, Billie, goes missing and her body is found shortly afterwards, it's a big wake up call for everyone. She was raped and murdered.
What initially turned me off this book was that I thought it was going to take a very different direction to what I'm comfortable with. Little Thera starts seeing dead girls and hearing voices after playing with an Ouija board. She believes they are ghosts and she wants to help them and their families so she starts investigating her friends murder on her own.
I found the narration slightly unbelievable at times when Thera seemed much smarter than her age. It chilled me but also made me think of other 11 year old children and realise that isn't the way they think or talk... but then at other times she'd say some things about her nano pet and become a regular child again which threw me about a bit. Her character was quite frankly fascinating because you really question her mental state. Was there really a paranormal element to the book or was she seeing things because she was insane? These are the questions that start to surface as you keep turning the pages.
To me another problematic point is that the plot is a bit ridiculous but I'm so glad I persevered because at some stage with book pulled me right in and wouldn't let me go until I finished the very last page!!
I really enjoyed how unique this story is. While it may seem like just another thriller / murder mystery novel it really has its own voice and feel to it that I've never experienced in a book before.
Books containing sexual contents against children is something I find very hard to swallow but as is the case with Lolita, I found this book tackled it excellently. While it was still disturbing it wasn't overly graphic or detailed.
Anyone born in the 90's is sure to get nostalgic while reading Dead Girls. This was an emotional, infuriating and brilliant read that has an ending with a HUGE shock factor.
Trigger warning for sexual abuse, pedophiles and violence.
August 31, 2019
Dead Girls was a well written book. The plot and themes were well developed. This is mostly realistic fiction but there are supernatural elements as well. There are heavy feminist undertones. Thera spent a long time pondering what she could do (and not d0) to avoid a pedophile and murderer.
I had anticipated eleven year old Thera to be a more realistic Harriet the Spy in solving her true best friend's murder. I thought her motives for solving this crime were purely to seek justice. I was wrong on both accounts.
The biggest problem I had with this book was in her attempt to solve Billie's murder. It was completely inappropriate, way too dark for a book written from a child's point of view, and I was not a fan. In addition, Thera was left largely unsupervised by her parents and, in many situations, things could have ended up very badly for her. Her parents didn't spend any time talking to her about Billie's murder and this led Thera to have to muddle her way through questions about pedophiles, girls, and her budding sexuality, and finding answers that weren't necessarily accurate.
Later on in the story, I questioned whether her actions were in any way influenced by her high functioning abilities or whether or not she had an actual personality disorder that influenced her actions.
I had hoped to like this book but I was left with an icky feeling.
I had anticipated eleven year old Thera to be a more realistic Harriet the Spy in solving her true best friend's murder. I thought her motives for solving this crime were purely to seek justice. I was wrong on both accounts.
The biggest problem I had with this book was in her attempt to solve Billie's murder. It was completely inappropriate, way too dark for a book written from a child's point of view, and I was not a fan. In addition, Thera was left largely unsupervised by her parents and, in many situations, things could have ended up very badly for her. Her parents didn't spend any time talking to her about Billie's murder and this led Thera to have to muddle her way through questions about pedophiles, girls, and her budding sexuality, and finding answers that weren't necessarily accurate.
Later on in the story, I questioned whether her actions were in any way influenced by her high functioning abilities or whether or not she had an actual personality disorder that influenced her actions.
I had hoped to like this book but I was left with an icky feeling.
June 14, 2021
2,5 stars, rounded up.
Meh. This was pretty much like I expected it to be, but even duller and not particularly impressive. There were two scenes I really liked, , but mostly I wasn't all that into it. I think I just don't like books with very young narrators.
Meh. This was pretty much like I expected it to be, but even duller and not particularly impressive. There were two scenes I really liked, , but mostly I wasn't all that into it. I think I just don't like books with very young narrators.
May 1, 2020
Easily the best book I’ve read this year
May 3, 2019
‘Billie didn’t come home. No one knows where she is.’
‘Find Me’ …. ‘Because I promised her I would.’
Dead Girls by Abigail Tarttelin is one of the most thrilling, disturbing, thought-provoking and clever stories we’ve read in a while. Told in the POV of eleven-year-old Thera Wilde, we experience utter tragedy, confusion, despair, resilience, bravery, and horror. Having Thera narrate this story was genius as it added an emotional perspective which was not only -in our opinion- necessary, it also ensured that we experienced and saw an important side of a tragedy so abhorrent and what followed on from there. However, we were completely aware that this was a child’s interpretation of the events which unfolded.
‘Ask me literally any question about Billie, and I will be able to answer it, and if you asked her if I was right, she would say I always would be. If I don’t know Billie May Brooke, no one ever will.’
Thera and Billie are best of friends and in their last year of primary school. The year is 1999 and the girls are inseparable. Two innocent girls living and playing a game of an imaginary make believe world after school in the fields of their small village. The comparison made between Billie and Thera and other girls in their same school year is quite stark, showing varying degrees of maturity, sexual awareness and life skills. This not only being an age thing but also a direct result of parental upbringing and social differences. The greatest measure is when an ugly tragedy strikes. Being inside the head and experiencing the thought processes of an eleven year old girl was harrowing, upsetting and frustrating as a parent ourselves.
‘Sometimes I feel like I am built for the bad times, and that’s a thought that does actually shake me up. Who wants to be built for the bad times? To know the right place for you is a place no one else wants to be?’
The musings and reconciliations of adult actions by eleven year old Thera are quite eye opening in Dead Girls. The way in which she is portrayed is not only extremely heart-breaking and at odds with adult interpretation. It’s also incredibly thought provoking, you start questioning your own heart, morals and parenting attitude. Thera knows and is determined that she must find Billie, because she believes the police and adults are failing her best friend. Not only that, Thera is convinced that Billie is not the only victim at the hands of ‘the pervert’. She begins a journey of trying to emulate what Billie must have gone through in order to understand what truly happened. She hopes it will lead her to the predator who snatched and did unspeakable things to her best friend.
‘I must have fallen asleep because after that I keep seeing Billie, pale and dead. I see other faces too…’
“Why are you haunting me? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but I can’t save you. I’m just eleven! I can’t do anything for you.”
How much truth and honesty is appropriate to share with your child when a sick and horrific act takes your daughter’s best friend away forever? It’s certainly a fine line between scaremongering and educating. Not only that, do we inadvertently impart on our children that touching is okay by adults as a kind and caring gesture. Do we draw the line at parental touch, grandparents touch, or even people of authority? It really gave us pause for thought and is definitely something to think about and act upon.
‘They want me to stay innocent, but I suspect the time for that has passed.’
Dead Girls is a haunting psychological thriller with an element of the ‘ghostly’ which will chill you to the bone. We felt uncomfortable, we despaired and we felt helpless as we read, wondering what was true and what could likely be the figments of an eleven year old’s imagination. This story is very confronting as we know it features a reality entirely possible. We had a hard time with our conflicting feelings for Thera and the world as this eleven year old sees it. A brilliant compelling read that had us turning the pages in awe at the writing and the chilling content.
“When you found out…why didn’t you come and get us?”
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me. No one believes kids, or listens to them. I had to take matters into my own hands.”
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June 2, 2018
I'm always on the lookout for a good young adult crime thriller. I have spent many a happy hour lost between there pages, and can no count some of them as my favorite books. So while browsing the shelves in the bookstore I came across this one I had to give it a go. Not only did it incorporate some these genres but it was also set in my home country. This might sound daft but not too many are, most hailing from America. So it was with great enthusiasm that I open this book, in the hopes of finding another great story.
When it comes to books like this the leads while amazing in themselves all ways have a feeling of being much older than there years would allow for. In getting to Know Thera the author gave me someone who most defiantly felt her age. At eleven she is still happy to do the things most eleven years old's would. She is also naive to many of the darker things that go on in the world. But with the death of her best friend she sets out on a course that will not only see her seeking out vengeance but we also get to see her come of age and becomes something much great. It took me a little while to get a feel for Thera, but I think that has a lot more to do with me having never been an eleven-year-old girl than the authors work. When it comes to out lead she has a very strong will and despite what anyone tells her she is determined to find out what befell her friend. At times it is hard to distinguish between if she is the bravest person in the world or the naivety of youth that sees her leap into the fray. But she most assuredly makes for a fascinating person to spend some time with.
This book was always going to be on the darker side of life, from pedophilia to child murder this is one hell of a trip. I think this also all made the worse as we experience it through Thera. Her anger and passion are what drives this book forward in the hunt for the truth. And along the way, we get our share of twist and turns as well as our pound of flesh. As the motives behind what took place on that fateful day become clear to us we start to get grasp just how messed up the adults are in this book. It is not to say that it comes as a complete surprise as in between the time we spend with Thera we get small insights into how a cascade of events leading up to the murder. But in my opinion the author brings all this together giving us just the right amount of information along the way I Suppose the other thing this book brings to the table depends on how you view it, are the ghost Thera talks to from using the Ouija board real or is she more disturbed by the death of her friend than she lets on, something I will leave up to you to decide. She also delivers an ending that whilst is some wish fulfillment is also a logical place to draw this book to a close. It is, however, I hope not the end of Thera story as I think this girl is only just starting to show the world just what she is made of.
With this tale, we get a heroine that is ready to kick, bit and fight with everything she has to make right what once went wrong. we see her grow into the women she needs to become to fight the injustice she sees. And while the law may not agree with her, it is difficult not to agree with her and feel some small amount of pride in her. I feel you could do a lot worse than to spend a little of your time getting acquainted with this book.
When it comes to books like this the leads while amazing in themselves all ways have a feeling of being much older than there years would allow for. In getting to Know Thera the author gave me someone who most defiantly felt her age. At eleven she is still happy to do the things most eleven years old's would. She is also naive to many of the darker things that go on in the world. But with the death of her best friend she sets out on a course that will not only see her seeking out vengeance but we also get to see her come of age and becomes something much great. It took me a little while to get a feel for Thera, but I think that has a lot more to do with me having never been an eleven-year-old girl than the authors work. When it comes to out lead she has a very strong will and despite what anyone tells her she is determined to find out what befell her friend. At times it is hard to distinguish between if she is the bravest person in the world or the naivety of youth that sees her leap into the fray. But she most assuredly makes for a fascinating person to spend some time with.
This book was always going to be on the darker side of life, from pedophilia to child murder this is one hell of a trip. I think this also all made the worse as we experience it through Thera. Her anger and passion are what drives this book forward in the hunt for the truth. And along the way, we get our share of twist and turns as well as our pound of flesh. As the motives behind what took place on that fateful day become clear to us we start to get grasp just how messed up the adults are in this book. It is not to say that it comes as a complete surprise as in between the time we spend with Thera we get small insights into how a cascade of events leading up to the murder. But in my opinion the author brings all this together giving us just the right amount of information along the way I Suppose the other thing this book brings to the table depends on how you view it, are the ghost Thera talks to from using the Ouija board real or is she more disturbed by the death of her friend than she lets on, something I will leave up to you to decide. She also delivers an ending that whilst is some wish fulfillment is also a logical place to draw this book to a close. It is, however, I hope not the end of Thera story as I think this girl is only just starting to show the world just what she is made of.
With this tale, we get a heroine that is ready to kick, bit and fight with everything she has to make right what once went wrong. we see her grow into the women she needs to become to fight the injustice she sees. And while the law may not agree with her, it is difficult not to agree with her and feel some small amount of pride in her. I feel you could do a lot worse than to spend a little of your time getting acquainted with this book.
February 11, 2018
4.5/5 stars
"Dead Girls" was an intense and suspenseful novel from an unique point of view. Getting to read about a murder investigation from an 11-year-old's point of view was really interesting because it showed the actual murder victim as more of a person and character than these kinds of novels usually do. The children aren't innocent angels but active protagonists in their own story. I liked how Tarttelin managed to create a protagonist who was interesting and engaging, while retaining a child-like way of thinking and interacting. The juvenile way of thinking was sometimes annoying but really added to the story by showing Thera's way of thinking and processing the events around her.
The adults in the novel were infuriating at times because they insisted on treating the children as unable to deal with more mature matters. I think this showed quite well how parents' decisions to protect their children from everything can get their children in actual trouble and keep them from seeking the help they need. Thera's actions are essentially caused by the adults' refusal to engage with her in a mature way and their insistence on treating her as helpless. This novel not only offers a unique narrative perspective but also questions the way we interact and value children, and, I think, that these are important questions to pose and reflect on.
The message of the novel, driven home again in the acknowledgements, is an important one and I love how the novel didn't go for the easy answers but instead offered a complex and though-provoking narrative. I would definitely recommend this novel and hope to read more from the author.
"Dead Girls" was an intense and suspenseful novel from an unique point of view. Getting to read about a murder investigation from an 11-year-old's point of view was really interesting because it showed the actual murder victim as more of a person and character than these kinds of novels usually do. The children aren't innocent angels but active protagonists in their own story. I liked how Tarttelin managed to create a protagonist who was interesting and engaging, while retaining a child-like way of thinking and interacting. The juvenile way of thinking was sometimes annoying but really added to the story by showing Thera's way of thinking and processing the events around her.
The adults in the novel were infuriating at times because they insisted on treating the children as unable to deal with more mature matters. I think this showed quite well how parents' decisions to protect their children from everything can get their children in actual trouble and keep them from seeking the help they need. Thera's actions are essentially caused by the adults' refusal to engage with her in a mature way and their insistence on treating her as helpless. This novel not only offers a unique narrative perspective but also questions the way we interact and value children, and, I think, that these are important questions to pose and reflect on.
The message of the novel, driven home again in the acknowledgements, is an important one and I love how the novel didn't go for the easy answers but instead offered a complex and though-provoking narrative. I would definitely recommend this novel and hope to read more from the author.
August 17, 2019
CW: murder, paedophilia
So that's a head fuck, in the best possible way.
So that's a head fuck, in the best possible way.
Read
May 27, 2019DNF at 30%
I force myself to read .... not fun .
I force myself to read .... not fun .
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