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"Good Girl" is a crushing and gritty debut by Aria Aber (an author who has previously published award-winning poetry). This is definitely a coming-of-age story but, even more importantly, it is a "coming of" identity journey for the young protagonist, Nilab. Nila is an only child, born in Berlin, Germany to Afghan parents, and is repeatedly "bringing shame" to her parents/family who have been offering her all the opportunities possible to "succeed" and live a better collective life than they have had. Her mother and father were both educated and professionally employed in their home country of Afghanistan when they relocated to Berlin (where both were underemployed and struggled financially). I will not go into the intricacies of the plot but will say it's extremely well written and executed--Nila loses her mother at a young age and is left with a father and a few extended family members who are at a loss for what to "do" with young Nila. She has already been given an opportunity to study at an expensive boarding school but does seem to be using these advantages to better herself.

Nila finds life in the "Bunker" - a techno club that is riddled with drugs and raves and a crowd she falls into effortlessly. There she takes up a relationship with an older, flighty (and a bit washed-up) American writer - Marlowe - who is full of his own issues and frailties. But Nila becomes a person on whom he can both rely (for devotion and admiration) and mold/control. I can't say enough about the gorgeous writing here -- the well-imagined events and situations, the emotional undertones -- Aber is a wonderful writer and I was present in the situations Nila involved herself in as a result. This book feels real and fully lived.

I was rooting for Nila throughout the book, knowing that she is a very talented and savvy young woman who is filled with shame (about her cultural identity, her gender, the expectations thrust upon her, and her low sense of self-worth). She has an eye and passion for photography and we see that it is very much a way for her to "control" her life and make sense of the things around her. I think this book is coming out (mid-Jan 2024) at a fraught and unsettled time in our world -- in every way -- and the racism and ugliness depicted in this story are reflective of the world at large: in America and Europe and around the planet. I hope EVERYONE preorders and reads this gorgeous and heartbreaking novel and I felt lifted at the conclusion. I love this writer and cannot wait to read more from her. THANK YOU to #NetGalley and #Hogarth for the opportunity to read and review Good Girl. I'm looking forward to quoting some lines and passages on social media after the pub date on 1/14/2025.