"Luckiest Girl Alive"

"Luckiest Girl Alive"

Written by Jessica Knoll

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 

This book is very difficult to describe, because of the unlikable characters, unreliable narrator, over-used plot devices, possibly exploitative plot twist, lack of plot-driving conflict, misrepresentation of mental health, profanity, and the anti-climactic ending. With all of these going for it, I still take away that I enjoyed the book. Allow me to explain my reasoning, and perhaps you'd still like to read this.

"Luckiest Girl Alive" does not fit into any genre for me. When I read a book, I expect a plot devised of exposition, rising action, the catalyst, the conflict, the climax, and the conclusion. This book does not follow this typical story line format, which befuddles me but also intrigued me. We see our cruel, heartless main character, Ani, as she prepares to speak as part of a documentary for a tragedy that she survived. I disliked her, right off the bat. I believe this book's description should not have called her a "heroine". She is not running away from anyone, out to kill her. She is not succeeding in stopping a villain. She is coming to grips with her past, as someone from her past reemerges. The book's description also asks if Ani will speak out and break her silence, which is not something completely necessary. Yes, she's a successful career woman, but I do not believe the secret would unravel her life and her new persona.

We are told all about her growing up, a horrible event occurring to her at a party. This affects her and she becomes guarded as a young teen. Then, we find ourselves constantly shifting from memory to reality as she makes unethical choices behind her husband's back. He, of course, is a very supporting character and is not doing anything wrong. I disliked her for this. I believe that one of the main moral questions we readers ask while reading this book is: does your personal negative experiences and tragedies excuse your future behaviors? Surprisingly, we find out that after the first tragedy at the party, there is a second one, that would be spoken about in the documentary.

We eventually build up to the climax, which is not told in the present Ani’s life. We find out the tragedy, the catalyst for this story, at the end, which is a unique and interesting literary choice. I felt this different than most thrillers that offer a plot twist that impacts the characters’ opinions or actions in the present. However, this plot twist allows us to understand why Ani is the way she is. I believe that this plot twist was not surprising, as details were revealed by memories involving characters. I personally do not enjoy books, films, and television that involve this sort of tragedy, because using this tragedy feels exploitative. There is a line between speaking about an important topic such as this and exploiting the victims of these types of horrific events. Our media is over-saturated with fictional accounts of this type of tragedy, so when I read them in books, I find myself confused. Is the author using this plot device because they care about the subject, or because it would be a great plot twist in the end? Is it misuse and misrepresentation for personal gain? I will be curious to see what other people believe about this topic, those who have read the book of course. Then, after we find out the truth, our book ends, leaving our characters in a complete lurch, without any interesting or meaningful conclusion.

I recommend this book for certain reasons. The writing: the prose, the dialogue, and the pacing are great. I highly enjoy the author’s style of writing. She created an interesting and inventive plot style, which marvels other great films and books of years gone by. I do not recommend this book for those who want mental health portrayed correctly. I do not recommend this for those who are easily affected by teen tragedy, violence, and death. This was a very grotesque and uncomfortable book to read. As someone who has not experienced something similar to this, I was not permanently affected, but I could see someone who had been very impacted. This book does not pull any punches, and the tragic sequence is harsh and terrifying.