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This is the time of year when people head to the beach or the pool, armed with their favorite light, fluffy reads. But if you need a break from the usual chick lit and cozy mysteries, author Jack Jordan’s haunting short novel My Girl is about as dark as it gets.
The story begins long after Paige Dawson has hit bottom. It’s been 10 years since her teenage daughter, Chloe, was murdered and just weeks since her husband, Ryan, committed suicide—and Paige’s life is now a blur of wine and painkillers. She’s resorted to unspeakable acts to get her hands on more drugs. So when strange things start happening to her, no one believes her. They just chalk it up to blackouts and bad decisions. But then she discovers that Ryan had been hiding things from her—including a gun in his desk drawer—and her quest to uncover the truth leads her to a haunting revelation.
This chilling novella may be short, but that doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in development—or maybe it’s just that Paige has become so completely vacant that there’s not much left to develop. She’s heartbroken and desperate, still mourning her only child, whose death is still unsolved. And now she’s also mourning the husband who spent 10 years trying to comfort her.
Paige’s desperation is truly distressing, and her actions will often make you uncomfortable. This is a woman who feels that her life is over—that she has nothing left to lose. And her life is now a haze of sadness and increasingly dangerous lapses in judgment.
It’s easy, then, to see why she might lose track of some things—why she might forget that she left the curtains open or that she popped in an old home movie before falling asleep. But the eerie atmosphere of the story will keep readers guessing: is Paige losing her mind, or is there something more going on here?
Then, just when you begin to think that things can’t get any worse for Paige, the story takes a dark and disturbing twist. While the psychological aspects of the novel are haunting, the reality of the situation is absolutely devastating. And as Paige’s story spirals out of control, you’ll find yourself flipping pages faster and faster, anxious to see what happens next.
When the story comes to its conclusion, not all of the questions are answered—and not all of the loose ends are tied up. It isn’t entirely satisfying, but that only adds to the intrigue of it all—and it’s definitely one intriguing (and truly disconcerting) journey.
My Girl certainly isn’t a light, cheery novel. It’s dark and disturbing and often difficult to read. But it’s also a gripping story—one that’s guaranteed to add eerie shadows to the sunniest of summer days.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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