PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Upon reading the synopsis of The Girl in Green by Staci Layne Wilson, I was intrigued and decided to read it. It is a tough topic to write about, a child out there killing others. Oddly it is also a compelling topic that you can’t help to be curious about.
What did I think of this book? Read on for my spoiler free review.
Synopsis: (via Amazon)
She is ten years old. She loves storybooks, puppies, and murder.
Her mother knows. She has always known. And still she runs with her, steals for her, looks the other way—because she is her little girl. Because somewhere beneath those flat, patient eyes is the child she once rocked to sleep.
Isn’t she?
In the gritty, pre-everything America of the early 1980s, a mother and daughter are leaving a quiet trail of bodies across state lines. When a dangerous man steps into their orbit and the police close in from behind, the mother faces the question she has spent a decade outrunning.
What is she raising? What has she always been raising? And what happens when her daughter decides she’s better off alone?
The Girl in Green is a razor-edged psychological thriller that lives in the space between devotion and horror. Because the most terrifying thing about a monster isn’t what it does.
It’s how much you love it.
Fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin and Alice, Sweet Alice will love The Girl in Green.
My Thoughts
This book was such a great read. The atmosphere created in this book is spot on. It creates the bleakness of this violent crime spree set in the 1980s. You can feel the grime and dirt of the shady and seedy motels. Set within this gritty world are Beth and Amy, a mother and daughter duo on the run from police.
The violent crimes are horrendous and shocking to witness. It is unfathomable that Amy, a ten year old girl is behind these crimes. Beth, her mother, is fully aware of her daughter violent and murderous ways. She doesn’t seek help for her daughter though. She decides to live her life on the run with her daughter.
After a certain event in the book, we discover that Amy really hasn’t been given a fighting chance in life and has always been on the run since before she was born. Beth’s background story is every bit as disturbing as her being a mother of a serial killer ten year old. Beth’s story is twisted and tragic and the way story unfolds is compelling. I couldn’t put it down and I had to find out what happened.
The relationship between Beth and Amy is a warm spot in the coldness of Amy’s murderous path. Beth really does try to be a good mother, (or at least the best mother she can be), but it proves difficult with her calculating and cold- hearted daughter.
This book is not about gratuitous violence, everything written is intentional and furthers the story of these two characters. A well- written book with perfect pacing, developed characters, unexpected twists and some of the most gnarly deaths I’ve read in a book.
My Final Thoughts
This book is a dark and gripping read with rich characters and plot. Twists and turns along the way, sprinkled with horrific crimes. You will be left speechless at the end. Worth a read.
Note- Possible trigger warning. There is an animal harm scene in this book. It has purpose to the story and isn’t just an unwarranted violent scene.
The Girl in Green is available now on Amazon in all formats, including Kindle Unlimited.
