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The Girls
'An astounding new voice whose work mines the slippery regions between grief, sex, love, parents and children. This book is a rare find.' FELICITY CASTAGNA
'A tender and heartfelt book, exploring the intricacies and long aftermath of trauma and grief with great frankness and directness. Its honest and exacting exploration of what happens to the body and the self in grief is deeply moving, without being excoriating, and the writing is both lyrical and tough - Higgins has a distinctive and accomplished voice, and this book is a beautiful achievement.' FIONA WRIGHT
'An urgent, poetic and skinless howl of a book.' LEE KOFMAN
In 2005, Chloe Higgins was seventeen years old. She and her mother, Rhonda, stayed home so that she could revise for her HSC exams while her two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, went skiing with their father. On the way back from their trip, their car veered off the highway, flipped on its side and burst into flames. Both her sisters were killed. Their father walked away from the accident with only minor injuries.
This book is about what happened next.
'A tender and heartfelt book, exploring the intricacies and long aftermath of trauma and grief with great frankness and directness. Its honest and exacting exploration of what happens to the body and the self in grief is deeply moving, without being excoriating, and the writing is both lyrical and tough - Higgins has a distinctive and accomplished voice, and this book is a beautiful achievement.' FIONA WRIGHT
'An urgent, poetic and skinless howl of a book.' LEE KOFMAN
In 2005, Chloe Higgins was seventeen years old. She and her mother, Rhonda, stayed home so that she could revise for her HSC exams while her two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, went skiing with their father. On the way back from their trip, their car veered off the highway, flipped on its side and burst into flames. Both her sisters were killed. Their father walked away from the accident with only minor injuries.
This book is about what happened next.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2019
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987 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
September 1, 2019
I read an excerpt of The Girls in The Age last weekend and immediately downloaded the audiobook. Unfortunately it wasn’t available for a few days, but when it reached my Audible account, I devoured it. I was not disappointed.
This was a book about grief, relationships with parents, drug use and sex work. It’s also about memory, and how grief can play with memory. It detailed the aftermath of a tragic accident, where Chloe Higgins’ two younger sisters died in a car accident - her father was driving the car. Chloe was 17 then, and she writes about her life until 2019.
The content was harrowing at times, and the writing was stunning. Some parts were very hard to listen to - but as Chloe has said in the media, and in her book, it’s important that the hard things are written about.
Chloe observed the process of writing this book in the book, which I really liked - reflecting on how much she shared, and how much her editor and friends suggested she shared. She has a strict work ethic, really throwing herself into her writing. I feel she also used this book as part of her therapy, which is understandable given how much this accident changed her life.
She was very honest about how the depictions of the unpleasant and perhaps unruly sides of herself are not the only sides of herself. I really enjoyed the diary entries and Facebook posts from her Dad and Mum respectively - it’s as much their story as it is Chloe’s. They are indeed the best parents - her Mum’s optimism, despite the enormous tragedy, was moving.
The chapter where Chloe admitted that her first draft didn’t include much about The Girls - barely using their names throughout the book - was the most powerful for me. She included beautiful memories of her sisters, told by people who knew them. It centred them in the book for a good number of pages. I picked up that Chloe’s youngest sister was disabled, and she wrote about her disability in such a respectful way that never overshared. I really appreciated that.
I found the timelines confusing at times - it switched between present and past a lot. I also felt like I needed to read something more uplifting afterward, as The Girls was so heavy. Go gently with this one, readers.
What an amazing debut memoir. I can’t wait to read what Chloe writes next.
This was a book about grief, relationships with parents, drug use and sex work. It’s also about memory, and how grief can play with memory. It detailed the aftermath of a tragic accident, where Chloe Higgins’ two younger sisters died in a car accident - her father was driving the car. Chloe was 17 then, and she writes about her life until 2019.
The content was harrowing at times, and the writing was stunning. Some parts were very hard to listen to - but as Chloe has said in the media, and in her book, it’s important that the hard things are written about.
Chloe observed the process of writing this book in the book, which I really liked - reflecting on how much she shared, and how much her editor and friends suggested she shared. She has a strict work ethic, really throwing herself into her writing. I feel she also used this book as part of her therapy, which is understandable given how much this accident changed her life.
She was very honest about how the depictions of the unpleasant and perhaps unruly sides of herself are not the only sides of herself. I really enjoyed the diary entries and Facebook posts from her Dad and Mum respectively - it’s as much their story as it is Chloe’s. They are indeed the best parents - her Mum’s optimism, despite the enormous tragedy, was moving.
The chapter where Chloe admitted that her first draft didn’t include much about The Girls - barely using their names throughout the book - was the most powerful for me. She included beautiful memories of her sisters, told by people who knew them. It centred them in the book for a good number of pages. I picked up that Chloe’s youngest sister was disabled, and she wrote about her disability in such a respectful way that never overshared. I really appreciated that.
I found the timelines confusing at times - it switched between present and past a lot. I also felt like I needed to read something more uplifting afterward, as The Girls was so heavy. Go gently with this one, readers.
What an amazing debut memoir. I can’t wait to read what Chloe writes next.
October 26, 2019
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4.5 stars
Grief is such a universal fact of life, but how we express and deal with it is very personalised. The Girls is an exploration of the individualised act of grief, in the face of a catastrophic event. The Girls utterly consumed me. I was struck by the pure honesty, fearlessness and poetic justice author Chloe Higgins conveys through her first book. Even if you haven’t been touched by an episode of loss or grief of the same magnitude as the author, The Girls represents a moving piece of literature.
A tragic, fatal and unexplained accident forms the backbone of this book, penned by debut writer Chloe Higgins. The journey begins on the year 2005, when Chloe and her mother Rhonda make the fateful decision to stay home, while Chloe studied for upcoming high school exams. Chloe’s two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, accompany their father on a ski trip. On the way home from this trip, the car journey turns into a tragic scene. The car veers off the road, flips, and promptly bursts into flames, engulfing Chloe’s two sisters before they can be saved. Miraculously, Chloe’s father, who was at the wheel of the car, is pulled from the wreckage and survives the crash. The Girls considers the aftermath of this tragic event. It examines the fallout of this one life defining episode, it also looks at the individual act of grieving, and how this differs from person to person. The Girls considers memory, survivor’s guilt and self-destruction. This is a tender and heartfelt book, that will have you thinking very differently about the way in which we express and handle grief.
A recent author in conversation event at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre in Western Australia put me in touch with The Girls, the first publication from Chloe Higgins. In fact, this locale has a strong bearing The Girls, Chloe Higgins was an emerging writing in residence at the centre, as indicated in the acknowledgements section of this book. To be honest, a grief based memoir is not my usual fare, but something about Chloe’s story spoke to my heart and I found myself completely in awe of this author’s story.
Firstly, I was struck by the style of prose adopted by Higgins for her first book. It is well versed, poetic, measured, stark and bold. I think my list of descriptors could go on as I was completely impressed by The Girls. I am confident that Chloe Higgins is destined to write and I know that writing provides her with a sense of grounding. For Chloe, writing is her fuel, it is part of her daily ritual, along with exercise, sleep and travel. I felt inspired after reading this book and hearing Chloe Higgins speak to her audience in person.
From The Girls, I was able to glean so much about the process and act of grief. This book challenged my preconceptions and experiences. Most of all, it reminds us that grief is really down to the person. How Chloe, her mother and father chose to confront the immense grief that they faced varied a great deal. In Chloe, we see a lost young soul, desperately gripping onto the fragments of life that she believes will help her understand her loss. Chloe explicitly highlights a no holds back style commentary on her struggles with mental health, her psychiatric incarceration, self-harm, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, sex work, promiscuity, hedonism, travel, rituals and formative relationships. On the other hand, Chloe’s mother is a very different soul, who expresses her grief in a contrasted way. On the other hand, Chloe’s father is utterly consumed with his grief, which is painstakingly revealed through the files of information and diary entries that he passed on to Chloe while she was writing this book. I walked away from reading these segments of the story with such a heavy heart, but hearing this side of the story was important.
The structure of The Girls runs through Chloe Higgins’ life just before the crash, to the accident itself and the aftermath. The book also considers how it has impacted the author’s life right up until the book’s publication deadline, which was March 2019. The feel of this book is almost like a stream of consciousness, it is a constant flow of thoughts, ideas, expressions and recollections. A precursor to each new chapter, outlining Chloe’s age, the date and location Chloe is based at provides grounding for the reader. It helps to orientate you within Chloe’s often frantic experiences. For me, the part of the book that held the most meaning were the simple meditations on grief that Chloe gleans along the way. These poignant segments are like a guiding light, in the face of such incredible loss.
The Girls is a symbolic meditation on the impact of one tragic day. Chloe Higgins opens up a vital conversation around the act of grief, feelings of guilt, the relationship breakdowns, the survival instinct, the impact of loss on the self, life choices and healing, in the face of emotional pain. The Girls is an unflinching account of immeasurable loss and it is an essential book that I recommend to all.
**** 4.5 stars
The Girls is book #131 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
Grief is such a universal fact of life, but how we express and deal with it is very personalised. The Girls is an exploration of the individualised act of grief, in the face of a catastrophic event. The Girls utterly consumed me. I was struck by the pure honesty, fearlessness and poetic justice author Chloe Higgins conveys through her first book. Even if you haven’t been touched by an episode of loss or grief of the same magnitude as the author, The Girls represents a moving piece of literature.
A tragic, fatal and unexplained accident forms the backbone of this book, penned by debut writer Chloe Higgins. The journey begins on the year 2005, when Chloe and her mother Rhonda make the fateful decision to stay home, while Chloe studied for upcoming high school exams. Chloe’s two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, accompany their father on a ski trip. On the way home from this trip, the car journey turns into a tragic scene. The car veers off the road, flips, and promptly bursts into flames, engulfing Chloe’s two sisters before they can be saved. Miraculously, Chloe’s father, who was at the wheel of the car, is pulled from the wreckage and survives the crash. The Girls considers the aftermath of this tragic event. It examines the fallout of this one life defining episode, it also looks at the individual act of grieving, and how this differs from person to person. The Girls considers memory, survivor’s guilt and self-destruction. This is a tender and heartfelt book, that will have you thinking very differently about the way in which we express and handle grief.
A recent author in conversation event at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre in Western Australia put me in touch with The Girls, the first publication from Chloe Higgins. In fact, this locale has a strong bearing The Girls, Chloe Higgins was an emerging writing in residence at the centre, as indicated in the acknowledgements section of this book. To be honest, a grief based memoir is not my usual fare, but something about Chloe’s story spoke to my heart and I found myself completely in awe of this author’s story.
Firstly, I was struck by the style of prose adopted by Higgins for her first book. It is well versed, poetic, measured, stark and bold. I think my list of descriptors could go on as I was completely impressed by The Girls. I am confident that Chloe Higgins is destined to write and I know that writing provides her with a sense of grounding. For Chloe, writing is her fuel, it is part of her daily ritual, along with exercise, sleep and travel. I felt inspired after reading this book and hearing Chloe Higgins speak to her audience in person.
From The Girls, I was able to glean so much about the process and act of grief. This book challenged my preconceptions and experiences. Most of all, it reminds us that grief is really down to the person. How Chloe, her mother and father chose to confront the immense grief that they faced varied a great deal. In Chloe, we see a lost young soul, desperately gripping onto the fragments of life that she believes will help her understand her loss. Chloe explicitly highlights a no holds back style commentary on her struggles with mental health, her psychiatric incarceration, self-harm, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, sex work, promiscuity, hedonism, travel, rituals and formative relationships. On the other hand, Chloe’s mother is a very different soul, who expresses her grief in a contrasted way. On the other hand, Chloe’s father is utterly consumed with his grief, which is painstakingly revealed through the files of information and diary entries that he passed on to Chloe while she was writing this book. I walked away from reading these segments of the story with such a heavy heart, but hearing this side of the story was important.
The structure of The Girls runs through Chloe Higgins’ life just before the crash, to the accident itself and the aftermath. The book also considers how it has impacted the author’s life right up until the book’s publication deadline, which was March 2019. The feel of this book is almost like a stream of consciousness, it is a constant flow of thoughts, ideas, expressions and recollections. A precursor to each new chapter, outlining Chloe’s age, the date and location Chloe is based at provides grounding for the reader. It helps to orientate you within Chloe’s often frantic experiences. For me, the part of the book that held the most meaning were the simple meditations on grief that Chloe gleans along the way. These poignant segments are like a guiding light, in the face of such incredible loss.
The Girls is a symbolic meditation on the impact of one tragic day. Chloe Higgins opens up a vital conversation around the act of grief, feelings of guilt, the relationship breakdowns, the survival instinct, the impact of loss on the self, life choices and healing, in the face of emotional pain. The Girls is an unflinching account of immeasurable loss and it is an essential book that I recommend to all.
**** 4.5 stars
The Girls is book #131 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
September 14, 2019
“And how hard will my mother’s heart break when people report back the things I have said about her?” (p294) — Chloe shares her concern but she need not worry. Chloe’s account is candid but her mother comes across as a shining light of strength. This was a turbulent read for me but the person I empathise and identify with the most is Chloe’s mother.
Chloe’s mother’s diary entries on their trip to New York made me laugh (I too am geographically challenged). They show a strength of character; to move and grow beyond the boundaries of comfort zones. Chloe writes “Every couple of days she texts to ask if I’m still alive and I reply and tell her I am.” (p282). I can relate. It’s the same daily message I text to my son who lives overseas. Love :)
The stand-out image for me is towards the end of the book when Chloe is watching a family home movie -
“Carlie walks past, in the corner of the video. And then Lisa lets out a sad drawl ‘Ohhhhhhhhh,’ dropping her hand and pointing to the ground, where her sparkler now lies, spent. Our mother steps into the frame, ready with another already lit. Lisa beams again as she takes the new sparkler.” (p298). What a beautiful image: A mother that refuses to let the light go out. “Over and over, my mother’s high-pitched voice: ‘Write your name. Spin it around and write your name.’” This makes me cry. Beautiful!
In the author’s note - “As with all memoir, the events in the preceding pages are not the only truth.”
….and so it’s Chloe’s mother’s truth that I’d like to read next :)
Chloe’s mother’s diary entries on their trip to New York made me laugh (I too am geographically challenged). They show a strength of character; to move and grow beyond the boundaries of comfort zones. Chloe writes “Every couple of days she texts to ask if I’m still alive and I reply and tell her I am.” (p282). I can relate. It’s the same daily message I text to my son who lives overseas. Love :)
The stand-out image for me is towards the end of the book when Chloe is watching a family home movie -
“Carlie walks past, in the corner of the video. And then Lisa lets out a sad drawl ‘Ohhhhhhhhh,’ dropping her hand and pointing to the ground, where her sparkler now lies, spent. Our mother steps into the frame, ready with another already lit. Lisa beams again as she takes the new sparkler.” (p298). What a beautiful image: A mother that refuses to let the light go out. “Over and over, my mother’s high-pitched voice: ‘Write your name. Spin it around and write your name.’” This makes me cry. Beautiful!
In the author’s note - “As with all memoir, the events in the preceding pages are not the only truth.”
….and so it’s Chloe’s mother’s truth that I’d like to read next :)
January 27, 2020
This book was heartbreaking on so many levels. And Chloe Higgins was so brave for not holding back in sharing hers and her parents grief with us.
November 25, 2023
More reviews at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
I find it very hard to review memoirs, especially those that involve grief and mental illness as I've never had this extreme level of grief.
I appreciated that Chloe was candid in her writing. It is no use writing a memoir if you are only going to write the good stuff and gloss over the bad. It's all included; the drugs, the sex and the bouts of depression.
The words flow and her writing is easy to read even though the content is tough.
The story jumps around a lot in time and sometimes I found the time stamp hard to figure out.
I am glad writing this book has helped Chloe work through her own grief and by the end of the book I was pleased she was starting to heal.
I find it very hard to review memoirs, especially those that involve grief and mental illness as I've never had this extreme level of grief.
I appreciated that Chloe was candid in her writing. It is no use writing a memoir if you are only going to write the good stuff and gloss over the bad. It's all included; the drugs, the sex and the bouts of depression.
The words flow and her writing is easy to read even though the content is tough.
The story jumps around a lot in time and sometimes I found the time stamp hard to figure out.
I am glad writing this book has helped Chloe work through her own grief and by the end of the book I was pleased she was starting to heal.
October 29, 2019
2.5 I’ve read many grief memoirs but never have I felt as voyeuristic as when reading The Girls. I think it’s because Higgins structures the book by starting with her two sisters dying in a car accident so the only place she has to go is a mostly chronological account of how this tragedy derailed her life. The other thing, and this feels so harsh given how deeply personal the book is, is that it lacks the craft that make other grief memoirs works of art and not simply writing as therapy. Incredibly accomplished writers such as Fiona Wright, Lee Koffman and Felicity Castagna wax lyrical about it so perhaps I am completely wrong...
August 28, 2019
Sometimes you devour the pages of a book and think, “what a nice story”. After reading The Girls, I felt like I had devoured Higgins’ soul. Don’t read this book on a train, unless you’re comfortable sobbing. A powerful first book that made me reflect on those complex, tumultuous and beautiful relationships we have with parents and lovers.
February 25, 2024
This is a confronting and raw memoir but Higgin’s honesty is refreshing. I found myself questioning if I could ever tell my own stories so honestly, reassuring myself that I would not. But I genuinely think that this unapologetic reflection on the authors life, where nothing is off limits, will be the start of a very successful career for Chloe. I look forward to reading her next release.
January 5, 2020
I really wanted to love this book but found the author annoying and repetitive. There is no doubt the story is sad, painful and horrific but her journey through grief was annoying. Although I can’t imagine the horror of the situation, I found it difficult to like the author and her writing was too pedestrian and unemotional.
March 12, 2020
Hard to listen to at times. So sad.
A sensitive portrayal of loss and grief.
A well written, brave and honest memoir.
A sensitive portrayal of loss and grief.
A well written, brave and honest memoir.
November 27, 2019
Crap book. Lauded by reviews probably too frightened to say a memoir regarding confronting mental health issues by a fledgling author is crap.
Put your big boys pants on and admit it.
Mental Health and the journey she has been on is and will continue to be tough.
It’s like reading a reconstructed diary.
I checked the Coronial reports.
He fell asleep driving...
Put your big boys pants on and admit it.
Mental Health and the journey she has been on is and will continue to be tough.
It’s like reading a reconstructed diary.
I checked the Coronial reports.
He fell asleep driving...
March 25, 2024
In 2005, Higgins had a 'normal' life: parents and two sisters, plans for university, day-to-day good and bad. And then the car her father was driving went off the road, and Higgins' sisters—she had stayed home to study—were both killed, and her life's trajectory skidded sharply off course.
In The Girls, Higgins tracks the what came after: the way her father folded into himself with grief and self-blame, and her mother desperately tightened her grip on her one remaining child, and Higgins came unmoored. What interests me most is her commentary on memory and its inconsistencies: this thing happened like this, she'll say, and then she'll check in with a parent or a friend or someone else who was there, and they'll say no, it happened like this. Memory is a fallible thing, made ever more fallible by grief. And then the bigger gaps:
Besides these small details, my mind draws a blank.
I tell my mother about my shame and my lack of memories, and she says, 'But don't you remember? That time Carlie got her foot stuck in the bus door and you helped her and screamed at the bus driver to stop, got the door opened, helped her off and walked her home?'
I nod.
'Don't you remember?'
I don't. (52)
This is one of the things that terrifies me about grief, the idea of forgetting what came before. I worry about memories worn smooth with time, memories that you've turned over so many times in your mind that the sharpness of the details is gone, but also about memories that just slip away from disuse (or, as is perhaps more apt in Higgins' case, trauma) with nobody to remind you of them. The memories you don't know are missing.
The scope of the loss described in The Girls is devastating and the grief messy and raw. I'm still working out what I as a reader am looking for in grief memoirs, which I approach with trepidation, but it's hard not to respect Higgins' willingness to unravel it all and stitch it all up again.
In The Girls, Higgins tracks the what came after: the way her father folded into himself with grief and self-blame, and her mother desperately tightened her grip on her one remaining child, and Higgins came unmoored. What interests me most is her commentary on memory and its inconsistencies: this thing happened like this, she'll say, and then she'll check in with a parent or a friend or someone else who was there, and they'll say no, it happened like this. Memory is a fallible thing, made ever more fallible by grief. And then the bigger gaps:
Besides these small details, my mind draws a blank.
I tell my mother about my shame and my lack of memories, and she says, 'But don't you remember? That time Carlie got her foot stuck in the bus door and you helped her and screamed at the bus driver to stop, got the door opened, helped her off and walked her home?'
I nod.
'Don't you remember?'
I don't. (52)
This is one of the things that terrifies me about grief, the idea of forgetting what came before. I worry about memories worn smooth with time, memories that you've turned over so many times in your mind that the sharpness of the details is gone, but also about memories that just slip away from disuse (or, as is perhaps more apt in Higgins' case, trauma) with nobody to remind you of them. The memories you don't know are missing.
The scope of the loss described in The Girls is devastating and the grief messy and raw. I'm still working out what I as a reader am looking for in grief memoirs, which I approach with trepidation, but it's hard not to respect Higgins' willingness to unravel it all and stitch it all up again.
September 7, 2019
I received a review copy of this book out of the blue, so even though it is not something I would normally pick up, I decided to give it a go. Given the nature of the book, it is, in some ways, difficult to review, but I will do my best to share my thoughts. From the point of view of the prose, it was very readable and generally well written. However, it simply never grabbed me and, at the risk of sounding callous, I didn't 'care'. While I will gladly read biographies of long-dead figures, memoirs and autobiographies from living people have never held any interest for me, and I think that was the main problem here--nothing wrong with the book per se, but it wasn't my cup of tea. That said, I am sure many readers will adore the work and will find something in it that resonates with them, especially if they have known similar trauma. As such I am giving The Girls three stars. It was a well-written piece, just not something that appealed to me personally.
I received this book as a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 29, 2019
A powerful memoir made the more so by the author’s willingness to tell her story her way, including all the parts well meaning people told her to leave out or sugar coat. I was a mess by the end of it.
September 30, 2019
The Girls is a raw, honest memoir from Australian writer, Chloe Higgins. I had the privilege of meeting Chloe recently and to hear her account of life after death added greater depth to her book. In 2015, Chloe’s two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, died in a horrific car accident. Chloe explores a myriad of themes that include grief, self-forgiveness, moving on, drugs, sex, family dynamics and self-discovery as she takes her readers on an unforgettable journey.
Chloe’s was just seventeen years old when her life changed irrevocably in Western Sydney. She was at home with her mother, studying, when her father and siblings were returning from a ski trip. Their car veered onto the wrong side of the road, clipping another vehicle. The Higgin’s vehicle flipped in the air, landed, exploding in a ball of fire shortly after. Physically, Chloe’s father survived but to this day, he cannot remember what happened that fateful day.
Chloe and her father are two peas in a pod. They are both introverts, craving alone time from a world that won’t stop talking. They are not talkative and as a result, struggle to discuss their emotions. With persuasion from Chloe, they both seek counselling to come to terms with events, inadvertently creating a ritual in their lives. On the flip side, Chloe’s mother is the introvert of the family. She is a positive, upbeat woman who needs to talk. To talk about everything and anything. With such differing personalities, this is a family that is learning how to be together again.
Before seeking professional help, Chloe explored the darker side of sex and drugs to help her express what she couldn’t say in words. Initially, I was wary of reading about this side of her pain. What could have been cringe worthy was straightforward and unemotional. I admire Chloe for being able to tell her side of the story like it is, warts and all, in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving. It is from these moments that I appreciated the growth that Chloe has made as an individual… a woman who loves literacy, who needs routine, who travels the world and who craves solitude. Above all, a woman who is still discovering and evolving as a person.
Chloe’s was just seventeen years old when her life changed irrevocably in Western Sydney. She was at home with her mother, studying, when her father and siblings were returning from a ski trip. Their car veered onto the wrong side of the road, clipping another vehicle. The Higgin’s vehicle flipped in the air, landed, exploding in a ball of fire shortly after. Physically, Chloe’s father survived but to this day, he cannot remember what happened that fateful day.
Chloe and her father are two peas in a pod. They are both introverts, craving alone time from a world that won’t stop talking. They are not talkative and as a result, struggle to discuss their emotions. With persuasion from Chloe, they both seek counselling to come to terms with events, inadvertently creating a ritual in their lives. On the flip side, Chloe’s mother is the introvert of the family. She is a positive, upbeat woman who needs to talk. To talk about everything and anything. With such differing personalities, this is a family that is learning how to be together again.
Before seeking professional help, Chloe explored the darker side of sex and drugs to help her express what she couldn’t say in words. Initially, I was wary of reading about this side of her pain. What could have been cringe worthy was straightforward and unemotional. I admire Chloe for being able to tell her side of the story like it is, warts and all, in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving. It is from these moments that I appreciated the growth that Chloe has made as an individual… a woman who loves literacy, who needs routine, who travels the world and who craves solitude. Above all, a woman who is still discovering and evolving as a person.
September 29, 2019
How painful it was to read through this book and how relatable it was to me in aspects of falling into a strained relationship with one's parents after a death/trauma/ordeal. Chloe adopting various coping mechanisms to shift the shock and depression elsewhere was a sad yet enduring tale; this story didn't hesitate in depicting her grief and afterwards healing in the most intense manner I've yet to encounter.
August 16, 2019
I don't really want to critique a memoir about a women who lost her two sisters in a car accident, when she was only a teenager. But i'll just say that this was definitely a raw and honest story about how she dealt with the grief and the many years to come of her spiraling into bad habits and dealing with the trauma.
I am so very close with my siblings, so I can not even begin to imagine the sadness and shock Chloe and her parents will be experiencing for the rest of their lives.
I am so very close with my siblings, so I can not even begin to imagine the sadness and shock Chloe and her parents will be experiencing for the rest of their lives.
September 16, 2019
Incredibly brave writing, getting right to the heart of grief, self and family relationships.
October 1, 2019
Beautiful brave authentic book. Her writing is clean and evocative. The content is honest and raw and heartbreaking and joyful. What a gift.
September 3, 2019
I spent the first 50 pages of this book bawling my eyes out, thinking of my own siblings, sending them all ‘I love you’ texts to try and ease my sense of panic. One replied asking how much red wine I had had to drink, but the rest replied with a simple ‘love you too’. I realised I needed to get a grip if I was going to get through the rest of the book (you may have a different experience - I’m very dramatic and cry at everything), so I settled into the rest of the story, barely able to put it down. Higgins’ story is a huge triumph of strength and I honestly don’t know how I would have turned out and if I were to live through the same circumstances. She is very inspirational to still be here and to have had such success in life. Such an honest, beautiful, sad, hopeful, hilarious, fascinating, intelligent and engaging memoir. Can’t wait to see what she writes about next.
September 5, 2019
The linear structure of this book leaves nowhere to go except follow the author in a self-indulgent (albeit probably necessary for her) exploration of the aftermath of a family tragedy. The literary value of this book is scant. After just reading, The Shock of the Fall, and enjoying the slow reveal of the event of ‘the fall’, I was hugely disappointed with this book. I doubt Chloe Higgins has another book in her.
October 24, 2020
A revealing and raw tale of trauma, told with quiet dignity and wrapped up in reflections on memory and meaning. The way Higgins wrestles with her relationship with her mother is so unflinching it bates the breath.
February 4, 2024
At the beginning of this year, I pruned all the memoirs I still had on my to-read list, recognising that I am increasingly uncomfortable with the genre and its role in the publishing industry. On paper, The Girls was exactly the kind of book I wanted to quit - one written by a first-time author, mining her own pain. It stayed because even from the brief excerpts it is clear that this is something else, not a cynical exercise or a pitch that enables the author to get on to writing what she really wants to, but a book which had to be written for the author. The kind of memoir which is about authors stripping themselves back because they want to see what is there, the kind that has something to say about who we are.
Which is not to say it is an easy read. This book is saturated with grief. Not just the author's, but her parents' as well. It functions as a portrait of time - less than two decades ago - when there was little understanding of what, other than time, might heal trauma. And a time when being in a community meant pretending that sex work, psych wards or drugs were things that only happened to other people. For Higgins, whose life was blown apart by tragedy halfway through her HSC, there is no discourse available to contextualise what happens to her.
Instead, Higgins interrogates herself and her parents and then examines herself examining her parents. It can cut very close, and at times, the lines between writing and therapy are deliberately blurred. But there is never any doubt of who is in charge of this narrative, nor is there in the skill she brings to tell it. This is ferocious writing, even if at times a little lost in the labyrinth, which ultimately is the path.
Which is not to say it is an easy read. This book is saturated with grief. Not just the author's, but her parents' as well. It functions as a portrait of time - less than two decades ago - when there was little understanding of what, other than time, might heal trauma. And a time when being in a community meant pretending that sex work, psych wards or drugs were things that only happened to other people. For Higgins, whose life was blown apart by tragedy halfway through her HSC, there is no discourse available to contextualise what happens to her.
Instead, Higgins interrogates herself and her parents and then examines herself examining her parents. It can cut very close, and at times, the lines between writing and therapy are deliberately blurred. But there is never any doubt of who is in charge of this narrative, nor is there in the skill she brings to tell it. This is ferocious writing, even if at times a little lost in the labyrinth, which ultimately is the path.
March 19, 2020
Memoirs are always hard to review. The good ones are written straight from the heart: raw, emotive, honest. The Girls is a poignant and candid memoir about grief, family, sexuality, guilt, mental health, and memory. Chloe Higgins lays herself bare for this memoir, I can feel her pain and confusion as she writes her attempts to find her way after losing her two sisters. What gives me hope is her constant dedication to connect with her parents better and foster a mature relationship with them in the throes of grief and heartbreak. Her exploration of mental health and slowing down resonated. Ultimately, this memoir is a story of hope, healing and love.
October 17, 2019
I have gotten to a point where I don’t really want to read about the grief, pain and the downward spiral of others anymore. This book helped me realised that. It started off well, but I just wasn’t interested in ‘the life that fell a part story’. Most people have shit happen and most of it is kind of boring. This book would probably help others going through similar experiences though.
I did like Chloe’s style of writing and I will look out for future books.
I did like Chloe’s style of writing and I will look out for future books.
January 15, 2021
Brilliant. One of the best books I have ever read. The most honest, raw and brave book I have ever read. I admire you so much more than I could ever put into words Chloe Higgins. Thank you.
October 9, 2019
Wow what a story! I devoured this book on audible and really enjoyed it. It is so real and honest. I was initially drawn to this story because I live in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, and also because I have experienced intense trauma and grief. I greatly appreciate the author sharing so many things about herself, and her family, and about living life after trauma and grief. Many of these things are kept private but are very real experiences and feelings for so many people. We just don't talk about it! So good to hear it said. I resonated a lot with this book and was glad for every detail included.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2020
“Grief stains the body”
Wow. This book is incredibly emotional and raw and feels like it has hands around your heart and squeezing it ever so gently. This memoir touches on grief as the main element as well as sexual assault and many forms of mental illness. After an event happens in her family, her two sisters die and her father blames himself for it. What comes next is a struggle within a 10+ year period for what is left of the family and how they each handle and cope with it in very different ways. It is not for the faint hearted and I would definitely not recommend this if you are already feeling sad or down. I love this book for its power, it’s sadness, it’s ability to connect and express the author so well. I’m still recovering 😭 It was a 5 star read for me up until the ending, as it seemed to drag and lose my interest that I even contemplated finishing it in the last 50+ pages.
September 6, 2019
The honesty of this book is so refreshing. I am a psychologist and Chloe sharing her grief story will help so many in their own journey.
I couldn’t put this book down and wanted to take days off work to finish it but couldn’t.
Highly recommend everyone read this. You don’t need to have experienced such traumatic grief to relate to some of the inner thoughts of Chloe! Well done!
I couldn’t put this book down and wanted to take days off work to finish it but couldn’t.
Highly recommend everyone read this. You don’t need to have experienced such traumatic grief to relate to some of the inner thoughts of Chloe! Well done!
November 30, 2019
The Girls
by Chloe Higgins begins by examining the role of memory in grief - how our recollections of events vary, and how our memories fade or distil over time. Chloe's devastating story - her father and her two younger sisters were involved in a car crash that killed the girls - explores the impact of grief on the family dynamic (her father felt guilt; Chloe bore the burden of being the only child alive, and having to be 'everything' to her parents; and her mother seemingly remained the 'dependable' one).
Experiencing complicated grief and trauma, Chloe developed a drug dependency in her late teens, in addition to a number of other self-destructive behaviours. She is clear about her need for a concrete, tangible expression of what she was feeling, noting that what grief looks like is "...an inability to speak."
I found The Girls to be an extremely brave book - Chloe discloses some very difficult truths and regardless of how well you write, putting your family on the page can be ugly for everyone. Her personal debate over what to disclose is included toward the end of the memoir, and it provides more insight into the challenges authors have in telling 'their' story. I was reminded of Catherine Deveny's comment about versions of family events in memoir - “…it doesn’t have to be accurate, but it does have to be authentic.” Chloe's memoir is evidence of that, and of the fact that every individuals' version of the story is different.
Grief is never as private as it feels.
Experiencing complicated grief and trauma, Chloe developed a drug dependency in her late teens, in addition to a number of other self-destructive behaviours. She is clear about her need for a concrete, tangible expression of what she was feeling, noting that what grief looks like is "...an inability to speak."
I’m surprised at myself for being such a good actress, for knowing how to perform what I think grief might look like. It isn’t a real sadness - that would be too painful. It’s a performed sadness, one I absorbed from TV and movies. It’s easier this way.
I do not enjoy the pain or feel the release self-harmers write about but I don’t know how else to say ‘Please, I need help.”
I found The Girls to be an extremely brave book - Chloe discloses some very difficult truths and regardless of how well you write, putting your family on the page can be ugly for everyone. Her personal debate over what to disclose is included toward the end of the memoir, and it provides more insight into the challenges authors have in telling 'their' story. I was reminded of Catherine Deveny's comment about versions of family events in memoir - “…it doesn’t have to be accurate, but it does have to be authentic.” Chloe's memoir is evidence of that, and of the fact that every individuals' version of the story is different.
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