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A review by bookapotamus
The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
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!