Faith, out on probation from mental asylum, is the lone survivor of the gruesome multiple murders that took place ten years back in Marshfield, in which her father, sister, best friend and best friend’s mother were killed on her birthday by an unknown assailant. But for Faith the killer is not unknown. He is the Rat Face, with the hooked nose, stained teeth humming the Happy Birthday song, who has traumatized her day and night. But the cops believe that it was her father who killed the others and then shot himself to death.
As Faith lives on so does the perpetrator. And now it’s time for Faith to hunt him down. Or is she being hunted by him?
Christopher Greyson’s The Girl Who Lived is engaging to say the least. What makes the narrative tick is the pivotal character of Faith – an emotional wreck lacking in confidence and courage and fighting her own demons of the past. At times she appears to be stupid alienating the fist full of wellwishers that she has got by her impulsive and whimsical behaviour, on the other hand, the question “those who survive unimaginable trauma do they really get a life?” props up now and then as I walk through her tumultuous journey. And that is what makes Faith so real and understandable.
The righteous in me always gets hooked to the justice seeker. That is why I get irritated with her callousness, her addiction to alcohol – a mistaken coping elixir – or when she loses track or when she is not able to muster enough courage to look in the eyes of her tormentors. I want her to not cower down and give in to her weaknesses. I buck her up when she fights back tooth and nail even in the face of incredulity and obstruction. She does not know who to trust and who not to. She falters, makes mistakes, stumbles, gets up and runs. I don’t want her to run. I want her to hold her ground and give back to those who have broken her irreparably and made her existence a hell of a mockery,
Therein lies Greyson’s power of storytelling, I guess, because he gets me emotionally invested in the rollercoaster ride that the protagonist’s quest shapes into making me oscillate between dead ends and clues, hopes and fiascos and slumps and soars.
This book has been lying in my Kindle library for a long time. Glad that it has come as a sudden rush of adrenaline in between heavy motivational and educational readings.
By the way it’s got a sequel too – The Girl Who Lived 2.
But I won’t go there. No…at least not now.
I want Faith to get a grip, make the most of what is left with her and be at peace…
Till then…
Some people with those traumatic events hardly cope up and it feels like Faith is one of them. It’s a beautiful review, gc.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Hazel. Yes, you are correct and that is what the book is all about
LikeLiked by 1 person
Surely absorbing. My pleasure, gc
LikeLiked by 1 person
You really convey the effect this book had on you, Geeta
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Derrrick 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does sound like a gripping novel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is. Quite unputdownable. But I guess not healthy as it dwells on the darker sides of human nature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review! You perfectly captured how the author makes the reader so emotionally invested in Faith’s chaotic journey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Luisa. I am humbled by your appreciation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re more than welcome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is far more than a review it feels like an emotional encounter with Faith herself.
What stays with me most is your question: “Those who survive unimaginable trauma, do they really get a life?” Perhaps survival is only the first victory; the harder journey is reclaiming the self that trauma tried to take away.
I especially loved how honestly you describe your frustration with Faith wanting her to stand her ground, yet understanding why she falters. That emotional contradiction is perhaps the strongest evidence of Greyson’s storytelling, and of your own deeply empathetic reading.
And your decision to leave the sequel untouched, at least for now, feels strangely perfect. Sometimes a character deserves not another twist, but a little peace.
A beautifully felt and compelling review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Vijayji.
Having had a fair share of trauma in me life I equate and empathize with Faith. Her name itself is so meaningful.
My problem is I get too involved in everything I do whether it is reading, writing, blogging…something like बेगानी शादी में अब्दुल्ला दीवाना… 😂
And with readers like you, encouraging me like this, I get overboard.
So thank you and best wishes to you too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Peace be unto you . . .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, sir.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Geeta . . .
✋️ 👐 🤚
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙏🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person