The Girls of Summer opening lines: It’s too hot to be outside for long. Sweat is starting to dampen my scalp, thickening in the roots of my hair and pooling in the crevices of my collar bone.
My blurb:
All Rachel can remember of that summer is how amazing it was. How much freedom she had. And how much she loved Alistair. But are her memories accurate. Or did she turn a summer nightmare into a summer dream to protect herself?
The Girls of Summer
WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU REMEMBER WAS A LIE? The explosive and conversation-starting book-club debut from a stunning new talent. A book for every woman that turns the idea of ‘the one that got away’ on its head.‘That place has been my whole life. Everything I thought I knew about myself was constructed in those few months I spent within touching distance of the sea. Everything I am is because Alistair loved me.’Rachel has been in love with Alistair since she was seventeen. Even though she hasn’t seen him for sixteen years and she’s now married to someone else. Even though she was a teenager when they met. Even though he is twenty years older than her. She’s found it impossible to forget their summer together on a remote, sun-trapped Greek island. Until now.When Rachel unexpectedly reconnects with a girl that she knew back then, she is forced to re-examine her memories of that golden summer and confront the truth about her relationship with Alistair and about her time working for an enigmatic and wealthy man on the island. And when Alistair returns, the pull of the past could prove impossible to resist…
About the book:
The Girls of Summer is a compulsive and searching exploration of the complicated nature of memory and trauma, power and consent, victimhood and shame.
My verdict:
This book was a good read, even if horrifying! Young girls being manipulated into things they would never consider doing, all for the sake of feeling as if they are being loved. The Girls of Summer detail just how awful grooming can be.
About the Author:
Katie Bishop is a writer and journalist based in Birmingham, UK. She has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue, The Independent, and other publications. The Girls of Summer is her first novel.
Publishing information:
ISBN 9781787636019
Format Trade Paperback
Penguin Random House South Africa sent me this novel to review.
See the links below for blog posts I published on January 7:
- 2022: December 2021 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2019: Dried Apricots
- 2018: Line Of Fire
- 2016: Spiced Plum Sauce
- 2015: January 2015 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2014: Pane Tuscana | Tuscan Bread
- 2012: Chicken Noodle Soup
- 2011: Oyster Mushrooms For The Regional and Seasonal Challenge
It’s a difficult subject to read. Thanks for your mindful review, Tandy. Hugs.
It is! But this highlights just how important it is to arm ourselves with knowledge 🙂
Interesting book- but don’t think I’ll read. With two young kids, grooming is very real here in the USA and it does stress me out. Our public schools are the biggest culprit at times. The things that go on and parents have NO idea. I hate always being the one to tell them because their own kids won’t tell them.
I do not think it is easy to be a parent of a young child right now!
Hi Tandy, this book sounds like an eye opener for someone like me who has always lived a rather sheltered life.
This is quite a shocker!