The Girls of Summer
The addictive and thought-provoking book club debut
-
- €0.99
-
- €0.99
Publisher Description
‘Dark, timely and thought-provoking’ THE SUN
‘Set to be a big summer hit’ THE INDEPENDENT
‘A gripping read that is visceral and raw. Buy it’ GLAMOUR
The last time Rachel saw the girls, they were teenagers island-hopping in Greece: making friends, finding love. One golden summer.
Now in her thirties, she’s never been able to forget the man she fell in love with back then. Even though he is almost twenty years older than her. Even though she hasn’t seen him since and she’s now married to someone else.
And when she crosses paths with one of the girls, she’s confronted with a truth that’s much darker than she ever realized.
What really happened to them all that summer?
What if everything she remembers is a lie?
**********
For fans of GIRL A, MY DARK VANESSA and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, The Girls of Summer is a bold compulsive exploration of sex, power and consent, and what happens when we revisit the past with rose-tinted glasses.
'Reminiscent of HBO's hit The White Lotus... The obvious read-alike is My Dark Vanessa' BOOKLIST
'Packs an incredible punch' THE TIMES
'Beautifully written, transportive, and thought-provoking' LUCY CLARKE, author of THE CASTAWAYS
'A mesmerising, unsettling and gripping debut' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD, author of RUN TIME
***********
Readers are talking about THE GIRLS OF SUMMER:
* 'A superb debut that will linger with you for a long time after you have finished it. A powerful and resonating read.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
* 'Beautifully written with a tense, emotive plot that will be relatable to so many women' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
* 'An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
* 'Wow wow wow! I am still thinking about it, it's one of those stories that stays with you' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
An intoxicating—and horrendously toxic—relationship sits at the heart of Katie Bishop’s excellent debut novel. Seventeen-year-old Rachel first meets thirtysomething Alistair while Greek island hopping, and the pair soon embark on a torrid affair that threatens to capsize her entire life. Years later, a married Rachel starts to understand the truth about Alistair’s sordid dealings and manipulative behaviour, and pops open the emotional stitches—thus unleashing the horrifying scale of the abuse she endured. Bishop skilfully dissects Alistair’s abuse of power and paints a devastating—but ultimately moving and very powerful—picture of a woman battling to make sense of her ordeal and rebuild her life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Bishop's promising first novel is a timely exploration of the way predatory older men seduce and manipulate young women. After Greek island hopping for seven weeks with her friend Caroline, 17-year-old Rachel meets 30-ish Alistair and becomes obsessed with him. Soon, Alistair invites the insecure Rachel to parties at a wealthy friend's villa with her friends, who enter into affairs that slowly descend into drug-fueled disaster. Alistair conceals his practiced procurement of women on this "orgy island"—the real-life parallels are unmistakable—with protests to Rachel that he loves her. She remains in Alistair's thrall for more than a decade, ultimately destroying her marriage to another man before shocking revelations from her friends about Alistair finally open her eyes. The sense of place is ultra-vivid, though the narrative sags at points and the characters verge on stereotypes. Still, the author's unflinching dissection of male abuse of power and the strength of female solidarity deserves attention.
