Girl's Girl
A Novel
-
- $21.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “lustrous debut”* and a sundrenched and dewy snapshot of modern girl culture set in the blaze of one suburban Midwest summer
“Feldman brings an Austenian attentiveness to the foibles of suburban adolescence. . . . The pleasure of Girl’s Girl is that it reveals the invisible jealousies, affections and gnawing needs lurking at the edge of so many seemingly trivial images of young womanhood.”—Sanjena Sathian, The New York Times Book Review*
Fifteen-year-old Mina’s whole world is her two best friends, but after an unexpected kiss, the established dynamics of their trio quickly unravel. Everything that was once shared openly, from clothes to secrets, now feels impossibly fragile. Loyalties shift and tensions simmer across the long days of this pivotal summer, where the girls have nowhere new to go and everything new to feel.
Looking back, an adult Mina traces the undercurrents of longing that shaped her first experience of desire. The rituals of girlhood—gossip, selfies, sleepovers, and videogames—become threads in a delicate, volatile web of intimacy, in which everything feels achingly fleeting and permanently etched. Loving one person, Mina learns, can change the way we love everyone else—including ourselves.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Sonia Feldman expertly distils the giddiness, devotion, and uncertainty of girlhood into one single, expansive summer in her hypnotic debut novel. At 15, Mina’s entire world revolves around her besties, Eleanor and Margaret. They spend endless sprawling afternoons together talking, trying on clothes, and idly gossiping as they play The Sims and check social media. But when Mina develops more intense feelings for one of her two friends, it changes something both in the group and in herself. The way Feldman writes about this small, insulated, but ultimately unpredictable teenage world is truly immersive, right down to her descriptions of the oppressive Ohio humidity and the complex social dynamics of the county fair. We especially loved that Mina’s precious relationships with Eleanor and Margaret were more than important enough to create stakes for her queer awakening, leaving no place for homophobia in the story. More than a coming-of-age tale, Girl’s Girl signals the arrival of a literary talent we’re truly excited for.
