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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

The Eighth Girl: A Novel by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)
about book:

Optioned by Netflix and a most anticipated book of 2020 from Bustle, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and LitHub.


The Eighth Girl is an exquisite exploration of childhood trauma and its impact on the psyche. Part thriller, part character study, I devoured this novel in one sitting, reflecting on each sentence, each passage, and each astute observation of humanity. A true gem!” — Wendy Walker, bestselling author of The Night Before

In this unsettling, seductive psychological thriller, a young woman with multiple personalities is drawn into London’s hellish underworld when she becomes entangled with a man who has an abominable secret, for fans of Caroline Kepnes and Clare Mackintosh.

One woman, multiple personas. But which one is telling the truth?

Beautiful. Damaged. Destructive. Meet Alexa Wú, a brilliant yet darkly self-aware young woman whose chaotic life is manipulated and controlled by a series of alternate personalities. Only three people know about their existence: her shrink Daniel; her stepmother Anna; and her enigmatic best friend Ella. The perfect trio of trust.

When Ella gets a job at a high-end gentleman’s club, she catches the attention of its shark-like owner and is gradually drawn into his inner circle. As Alexa’s world becomes intimately entangled with Ella’s, she soon finds herself the unwitting keeper of a nightmarish secret. With no one to turn to and lives at stake, she follows Ella into London’s cruel underbelly on a daring rescue mission. Threatened and vulnerable, Alexa will discover whether her multiple personalities are her greatest asset, or her most dangerous obstacle.

Electrifying and breathlessly compulsive, The Eighth Girl is an omnivorous examination of life with mental illness and the acute trauma of life in a misogynist world. With bingeable prose and a clinician’s expertise, Chung’s psychological debut deftly navigates the swirling confluence of identity, innocence, and the impossible fracturing weights that young women are forced to carry, causing us to question: Does the truth lead to self-discovery, or self-destruction?

my thoughts:

A woman with multiple personalities - talk about an intriguing premise. I couldn't help but jump at the chance to read Maxine Mei-Fung Chung's novel, The Eighth Girl.  Especially, considering the fact that the author is a trained psychoanalytic psychotherapist.  I just knew that this book would be quite the read.

Alexa has multiple personalities that she calls her "flock."  Only three people are aware of her situation: her therapist (Daniel), her stepmother (Anna), and her BFF (Ella).  Her BFF gets a job at a gentleman's club called, Electra.  Alexa finds herself spending the majority of her time hanging out at Electra. She even dates the bartender.  Of course, the club has a seedy underbelly, which exposes Alexa and Ella to a world they want no part of.  As the story unfolds, we get to learn more about Alexa's mental health condition and the ways in which it affects her and her relationships.  You can't help but be sucked into the story the more you get to know Alexa.  I found myself turning pages faster and faster to find out what would happen next. Such a great read! I absolutely enjoyed every minute I spent with it.

I would definitely recommend The Eighth Girl to anyone and everyone looking for the next great read - you won't want to miss out!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Eighth Girl
Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!


2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

This sounds like a book you could get lost in which is something I could use right now.

Lark said...

A character with multiple personalities would certainly make for an interesting read!