The Girls by Lisa Jewell

The Girls by Lisa Jewell is my first library book in a long time. I rejoined the library at the beginning of January as part of my New Years resolutions. I read this in three evenings. I’ve always loved Lisa Jewell books since I read her debut ‘Ralph’s Party’ back in the late 1990s.

The girls is about two girls Grace and Pip and their mother Claire who have recently moved into a flat that backs on to a huge communal garden in the centre of London. They have moved there due to an episode with their schizophrenic father who had burnt their previous house down. He is now in hospital and the girls and their mum are making a fresh start. After they move in they meet the other teenagers who live around the Garden and who have grown up together going in and out of each other’s houses. In the garden is a bench in commemoration of a 15 year old girl who was killed in the garden years before.
On the day of Grace’s birthday and the annual summer party, Pip find’s Grace unconscious in a spot very close to where the other girl was found. The story looks into the relationship of the people around the garden and builds a big picture of the different families and the individuals within them. People start questioning how well they really know each other within their community and it makes you think of who could have caused this to happen. I was guessing to very near the end when the story starts to bring all the pieces together. Like many other Lisa Jewell books I’ve read this was really good and I’d definitely recommend it if you want a quick and easy read.

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