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Girl Unknown A Novel Karen Perry Books

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Girl Unknown A Novel Karen Perry Books

I am 60% through this book but, emotionally and from a reader's standpoint, almost 100% done with it. Dueling unreliable narrators, an unlikable cast, a horrible marriage all contribute to have me feeling disconnected from this story. I purchased this for my Kindle solely based on Tana French's endorsement as she is a writer whose every novel I devour and admire. However, I find that this work doesn't speak to me on that level and I'm not even sure I will finish this one.


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Girl Unknown A Novel Karen Perry Books Reviews

3.5 Girl Unknown is written by two authors - Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. I mention this right off the bat as Girl Unknown is told in alternating chapters from a husband and wife and I wonder if each author took on one of the personas writing the book.

David is a university professor. He is stunned when one of his first year students comes to his office professing to be his daughter. When DNA results prove that she is, he wants her to be part of his family, along with his son and daughter. But his wife Caroline, while welcoming Zoe on the surface, has her own doubts about Zoe's motives. And being privy to both David's and Caroline's take on the situation, the reader does as well.

I did not like David at all. Even though he starts out trying to do the right thing, I found him somewhat entitled and smug. Without giving anything away, as the book progresses, his thoughts and actions became increasingly disturbing to me. Caroline has made mistakes in the past and is far from perfect, but she is the character I was on side with the most. Zoe is a manipulator, beguiling David and toying with his wife, children and friends. I wondered what her end game was.

Kudos to Perry and Gillece for creating such strong reactions in this reader. Their depiction of this couple's interactions is really well done. And I liked the back and forth of the chapters, seeing the same events through different eyes. As the cracks in their foundation widen with the addition of Zoe, the reader knows that things are not going to go well. And it was here that I grew saddened (and a little frustrated) with the inability of this couple to actually be honest with and listen to each other and to actually see what is going on in their lives.

Those looking for a fast paced thriller won't find it in Girl Unknown. Instead it is a slow burn, with the tension and the inevitable outcome building with every chapter. But, I was caught unawares by the final turn the ending took. An unsettling, literary family drama.
David and Caroline Connolly are trying hard to put their life back together. At least, that's what it looks like from the outside. Following Caroline's public affair with another man at the school her children attend, Caroline and David are doing their best to keep moving forward. And David is close to having everything he's always dreamed of a tenured professor position at a university in Dublin. But when a student shows up at his office claiming to be his daughter, the ice the Connolly family is walking on begins to crack. 

Karen Perry (a pen name for Karen Gillece and Paul Perry) weaves together a disturbing tale told from alternating perspectives. From David's point of view, we see his struggle with the memories his daughter's sudden appearance in his life brings back. From Caroline's, a woman made out to be jealous of her husband's relationship with his newly found daughter. Her gut instinct tells her that there's more to this girl's story than what she's telling, but David won't listen. Not even when the lies Zoe, his daughter, have told begin to unravel. 

What Perry has created in Girl Unknown isn't so much a suspenseful tale, but an examination of the fragility of one family's connection to each other. Where Caroline's betrayal--her affair--is out in the open and decidedly bad, other moments between the Connolly family members will make the reader begin to question their own definition of what constitutes a betrayal. Where some connections break and bend under the stress of Zoe's appearance, others strengthen, as this cast of characters races towards a dark, explosive ending. With its unlikeable characters and dark twists, fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this slow-building suspense. 
I was really enjoying this right up until Part 4 or so. The ending felt overdone and predictable, and made me just a little sorry I read it in the first place. But because I enjoyed about 90% of it, and because the narration was AMAZING to listen to (I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading, and the narrators has Irish accents) I leave it with 3 stars.
Keep you guessing.
Wow...page turner
Interesting book but could have moved a little faster
Well-written page-turner. What more could you want? Really enjoyed it!
I am 60% through this book but, emotionally and from a reader's standpoint, almost 100% done with it. Dueling unreliable narrators, an unlikable cast, a horrible marriage all contribute to have me feeling disconnected from this story. I purchased this for my solely based on Tana French's endorsement as she is a writer whose every novel I devour and admire. However, I find that this work doesn't speak to me on that level and I'm not even sure I will finish this one.