This novel was recommended to me by my fellow-writer friend Eimear, so I just had to read it! However, it did take me a while to get into. McBride writes here in first person and the narrator starts as a young girl, her voice is disjointed and ungrammatical throughout. As I read, though, the poetry of the work shone through and despite the grim subject matter of abuse – both physical and emotional – I was captivated to the end.
McBride’s style is very original. The use of the girl’s confused voice was a brave approach, and it works. The style reminded me of Room by Emma Donoghue, which is narrated by a five year-old boy, but I felt A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing was much more engaging. Quite a masterly telling of love and guilt and betrayal.
I read this as part of my MA in Creative Writing. I really enjoyed it. I read it as a poem and the beautiful writing with assonance shines through. A lot of fellow students struggled to finish it but I think the trick is to definitely read it as a poem rather than a novel.
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