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bookapotamus's review against another edition
4.0
Did you ever read something that just made you feel so unsettled you thought about it for days afterwards?
The Eighth Girl did that to me. And I'm not mad about it. This book haunted me, and still does a bit. It's equal parts seductive, disturbing, fascinating and yes, unsettling.
It’s the epitome of psychological thriller. The narrative alternates between a young woman named Alexa, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder stemmed from horrible childhood trauma, and her therapist.
But its it really Alexa? Or perhaps one of the "flock" of identities inside her?
Strung along by her friend Ella, Alexa gets caught up in some dark and seedy dealings in the London underground club scene. Ella, absorbed by the money and gifts, refuses to quit - and Alexa won't leave her best friend.
Will her multiple personalities be an asset in helping them get out of this shady business, or will they put them in even more danger, and exposed to even more trauma than shes already been through?
This was a bingeable thriller at it's finest. Maxine's insight and knowledge as a mental health professional adds to the realism of this disorder and feeds the narrative with heart-pounding suspense. The plot is engaging and fast-paced, and tense and disturbing in all the right places, and I had a really hard time putting it down.
I had a lot of questions at the end though! I need to know so many things... like why and when and how and why again?!? But as is the case of what goes on in another person's head... I will just never know.
An ambitious and compelling read.
Bravo to Maxine on this debut- which has also been optioned for Netflix! Yay!
The Eighth Girl did that to me. And I'm not mad about it. This book haunted me, and still does a bit. It's equal parts seductive, disturbing, fascinating and yes, unsettling.
It’s the epitome of psychological thriller. The narrative alternates between a young woman named Alexa, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder stemmed from horrible childhood trauma, and her therapist.
But its it really Alexa? Or perhaps one of the "flock" of identities inside her?
Strung along by her friend Ella, Alexa gets caught up in some dark and seedy dealings in the London underground club scene. Ella, absorbed by the money and gifts, refuses to quit - and Alexa won't leave her best friend.
Will her multiple personalities be an asset in helping them get out of this shady business, or will they put them in even more danger, and exposed to even more trauma than shes already been through?
This was a bingeable thriller at it's finest. Maxine's insight and knowledge as a mental health professional adds to the realism of this disorder and feeds the narrative with heart-pounding suspense. The plot is engaging and fast-paced, and tense and disturbing in all the right places, and I had a really hard time putting it down.
I had a lot of questions at the end though! I need to know so many things... like why and when and how and why again?!? But as is the case of what goes on in another person's head... I will just never know.
An ambitious and compelling read.
Bravo to Maxine on this debut- which has also been optioned for Netflix! Yay!
jules44's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This wasn’t amazing and it wasn’t awful. As a re-hashing of Fight Club with a female protagonist trying to reconcile her childhood trauma, very readable but the cadence wasn’t great. Too much middle, not enough end.
april_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kbranfield's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung is an intriguing mystery featuring a lead protagonist with multiple personalities.
Alexa Wú is an aspiring photographer who has grappled with dissociative identity disorder for much of her life. She manages her "flock" of personalities successfully to a degree but she is still losing time. After awakening and regaining control, Alexa has no idea which of her personalities did what during the missing time.
Alexa's new psychotherapist, Dr. Daniel Rosenstein suspects she is not being completely honest during their sessions. He is quite concerned for her and he is soon a little more personally invested in his patient than he should be. Daniel confides in his friend, Dr. Mohsin Patel, but will he act on the advice he is being given?
Although not overly close, Alexa lives with her stepmother Anna. Anna is supportive of her stepdaughter but she is dealing with her own issues. Alexa is grateful her stepmother stuck by her when her father walked out on both of them years earlier. But Anna tends to maintain an emotional distance from Alexa and they mostly lead separate lives.
Alexa is best friends with Ella who cares for her younger sister. Just as Alexa is trying to jumpstart her career as a photojournalist, Ella begins working at a gentlemen's club. Alexa is well aware that Ella is quickly seduced by the money she is earning and the owner of the club, Navid. After stumbling onto Navid's other activities, the pair attempt to find enough information to take to authorities. Alexa is the voice of reason in trying extricate themselves from an increasingly dangerous situation. But will she convince Ella it is time to report what they know to the police before Navid figures out what they are doing?
As Alexa becomes more and more stressed, her other personalities are emerging with alarming frequency. Her mental and physical health are rapidly deteriorating and she is making risky choices. Daniel is well aware of her downward spiral, but is he doing enough to help his patient?
Alternating between Daniel's and Alexa's points of view, The Eighth Girl is an interesting novel. Although the pacing is rather slow, Alexa's sessions with Daniel are quite fascinating and informative. The majority of the novel takes place in either Daniel's or Alexa's heads, so there is little action to propel the sluggish storyline. The pacing finally picks up towards the end of the novel as the suspense surrounding Alexa and Ella's covert investigation becomes increasingly perilous. With some very astonishing plot twists, Maxine Mei-Fung Chung brings this somewhat dark debut to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung is an intriguing mystery featuring a lead protagonist with multiple personalities.
Alexa Wú is an aspiring photographer who has grappled with dissociative identity disorder for much of her life. She manages her "flock" of personalities successfully to a degree but she is still losing time. After awakening and regaining control, Alexa has no idea which of her personalities did what during the missing time.
Alexa's new psychotherapist, Dr. Daniel Rosenstein suspects she is not being completely honest during their sessions. He is quite concerned for her and he is soon a little more personally invested in his patient than he should be. Daniel confides in his friend, Dr. Mohsin Patel, but will he act on the advice he is being given?
Although not overly close, Alexa lives with her stepmother Anna. Anna is supportive of her stepdaughter but she is dealing with her own issues. Alexa is grateful her stepmother stuck by her when her father walked out on both of them years earlier. But Anna tends to maintain an emotional distance from Alexa and they mostly lead separate lives.
Alexa is best friends with Ella who cares for her younger sister. Just as Alexa is trying to jumpstart her career as a photojournalist, Ella begins working at a gentlemen's club. Alexa is well aware that Ella is quickly seduced by the money she is earning and the owner of the club, Navid. After stumbling onto Navid's other activities, the pair attempt to find enough information to take to authorities. Alexa is the voice of reason in trying extricate themselves from an increasingly dangerous situation. But will she convince Ella it is time to report what they know to the police before Navid figures out what they are doing?
As Alexa becomes more and more stressed, her other personalities are emerging with alarming frequency. Her mental and physical health are rapidly deteriorating and she is making risky choices. Daniel is well aware of her downward spiral, but is he doing enough to help his patient?
Alternating between Daniel's and Alexa's points of view, The Eighth Girl is an interesting novel. Although the pacing is rather slow, Alexa's sessions with Daniel are quite fascinating and informative. The majority of the novel takes place in either Daniel's or Alexa's heads, so there is little action to propel the sluggish storyline. The pacing finally picks up towards the end of the novel as the suspense surrounding Alexa and Ella's covert investigation becomes increasingly perilous. With some very astonishing plot twists, Maxine Mei-Fung Chung brings this somewhat dark debut to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
danys_reads's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 realistically. This book was fine, maybe disadvantaged because I read Catriona Ward's novel about DID recently which was one of my favourite reads of the year and this book is also about DID and couldnt get out from under my comparisons which made figuring out the twist very easy. My biggest issue with this book, however, is how much Alexa's psychiatrist sexualises her. It's deeply unpleasant and makes his proclamation at the end that she should have trusted him feel really shallow and unearned.
nitya31's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
1.0
The premise of this book and its undertaking does not make logical sense in a way that can be explained away by 'she's mad.' Mental illness and a history of trauma are not superpowers.
addythebookbat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Violence
mfrabbiele's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
smortnerd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0