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Good Girl
Win a free print copy of this book!
30 days and 07:34:09
10 copies available
U.S. only
An electric debut novel about the daughter of Afghan refugees and her year of nightclubs, bad romance, and self-discovery—a portrait of the artist as a young woman set in a Berlin that can't escape its history
A girl can get in almost anywhere, even if she can’t get out.
“A no-bullsh*t, must-read debut.”—Kaveh Akbar
“Kaleidoscopic . . . full of style and soul.”—Raven Leilani
“Radiant with longing and beauty.”—Sarah Thankham Matthews
In Berlin’s artistic underground, where techno and drugs fill warehouses still pockmarked from the wars of the twentieth century, nineteen-year-old Nila at last finds her tribe. Born in Germany to Afghan parents, raised in public housing graffitied with swastikas, drawn to philosophy, photography, and sex, Nila has spent her adolescence disappointing her family while searching for her voice as a young woman and artist.
Then in the haze of Berlin’s legendary nightlife, Nila meets Marlowe, an American writer whose fading literary celebrity opens her eyes to a life of personal and artistic freedom. But as Nila finds herself pulled further into Marlowe’s controlling orbit, ugly, barely submerged racial tensions begin to roil Germany—and Nila’s family and community. After a year of running from her future, Nila stops to ask herself the most important question: Who does she want to be?
A story of love and family, raves and Kafka, staying up all night and surviving the mistakes of youth, Good Girl is the virtuosic debut novel by a celebrated young poet and, now, a major new voice in fiction.
A girl can get in almost anywhere, even if she can’t get out.
“A no-bullsh*t, must-read debut.”—Kaveh Akbar
“Kaleidoscopic . . . full of style and soul.”—Raven Leilani
“Radiant with longing and beauty.”—Sarah Thankham Matthews
In Berlin’s artistic underground, where techno and drugs fill warehouses still pockmarked from the wars of the twentieth century, nineteen-year-old Nila at last finds her tribe. Born in Germany to Afghan parents, raised in public housing graffitied with swastikas, drawn to philosophy, photography, and sex, Nila has spent her adolescence disappointing her family while searching for her voice as a young woman and artist.
Then in the haze of Berlin’s legendary nightlife, Nila meets Marlowe, an American writer whose fading literary celebrity opens her eyes to a life of personal and artistic freedom. But as Nila finds herself pulled further into Marlowe’s controlling orbit, ugly, barely submerged racial tensions begin to roil Germany—and Nila’s family and community. After a year of running from her future, Nila stops to ask herself the most important question: Who does she want to be?
A story of love and family, raves and Kafka, staying up all night and surviving the mistakes of youth, Good Girl is the virtuosic debut novel by a celebrated young poet and, now, a major new voice in fiction.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
Hardcover
Expected publication January 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 4, 2024
super jako perspektywa córki imigrantów, ciekawy obraz współczesnych Niemiec but oh boy to nie jest dobra powieść
September 14, 2024
Captivating and moody. Nila is nineteen and caught up in Berlin’s party scene and with a sort of washed up American writer. She has been lying about her family’s origins to everyone she knows. After years of pretending to be someone else, she might just be ready to become herself.
The writing is sharp and assured, and the story is simple yet enthralling. The author effectively pulls you into Nila’s world and the result is a slightly disorienting read about identity and desire.
Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy..
The writing is sharp and assured, and the story is simple yet enthralling. The author effectively pulls you into Nila’s world and the result is a slightly disorienting read about identity and desire.
Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy..
July 4, 2024
Good Girl by Aria Aber
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 14 January 2025
In the pulsing heart of Berlin's techno scene, 19-year-old Nila seeks refuge from her troubled past. The daughter of Afghan immigrants, she navigates a city still haunted by its violent history, finding solace in the underground club culture that seems worlds away from her refugee-filled housing block.
Nila's journey of self-discovery is overshadowed by the ghosts of her family's past: her late mother, once a fierce feminist activist; her withdrawn father; and the ever-present uncles who seem to watch her every move. In her quest for belonging, she conceals her Afghan heritage, claiming Greek roots instead.
A chance encounter with Marlowe Woods, a fading American literary star, opens doors to a glittering world of artistic possibility. But as Nila is drawn deeper into this new realm, she finds that beneath Berlin's cosmopolitan surface, ugly tensions simmer. Her dreams, identity, and beliefs are all put to the test in this crucible of art and reality.
Aria Aber's "Good Girl" is a stunning debut that pulses with the raw energy of youth and the complexities of identity in a multicultural world. Aber crafts a narrative that is both intimate and expansive, exploring the intricate web of personal history, cultural heritage, and artistic ambition.
The novel's greatest strength lies in its vivid portrayal of Berlin's underground scene, which becomes a character in its own right. Aber's prose is electric, capturing the frenetic energy of techno clubs and the stark realities of immigrant life with equal vividness.
Nila is a compelling protagonist, her struggles with identity and belonging resonating deeply in our current global climate. The author deftly explores themes of cultural assimilation, the weight of family expectations, and the universal desire to find one's place in the world.
The introduction of Marlowe Woods adds an intriguing dimension to the story, serving as both a catalyst for Nila's growth and a mirror reflecting the often harsh realities of the artistic world. Through this relationship, Aber examines power dynamics, cultural appropriation, and the sometimes murky ethics of the literary world.
"Good Girl" is not just a coming-of-age story, but a powerful exploration of what it means to be an artist, an immigrant, and a young woman in today's world. Aber's unflinching look at issues of race, class, and gender adds depth and relevance to the narrative.
While the novel tackles heavy themes, it never loses its sense of vitality. The author's ability to balance moments of ecstatic joy with periods of introspection and darkness showcases her remarkable talent.
In conclusion, "Good Girl" announces Aria Aber as a formidable new voice in contemporary fiction. Her debut is a tour de force that combines lyrical prose, complex characters, and timely themes into a truly unforgettable reading experience. This novel will undoubtedly resonate with readers long after the final page is turned.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) | Bloomsbury Circus, and the author, Aria Aber, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 14 January 2025
In the pulsing heart of Berlin's techno scene, 19-year-old Nila seeks refuge from her troubled past. The daughter of Afghan immigrants, she navigates a city still haunted by its violent history, finding solace in the underground club culture that seems worlds away from her refugee-filled housing block.
Nila's journey of self-discovery is overshadowed by the ghosts of her family's past: her late mother, once a fierce feminist activist; her withdrawn father; and the ever-present uncles who seem to watch her every move. In her quest for belonging, she conceals her Afghan heritage, claiming Greek roots instead.
A chance encounter with Marlowe Woods, a fading American literary star, opens doors to a glittering world of artistic possibility. But as Nila is drawn deeper into this new realm, she finds that beneath Berlin's cosmopolitan surface, ugly tensions simmer. Her dreams, identity, and beliefs are all put to the test in this crucible of art and reality.
Aria Aber's "Good Girl" is a stunning debut that pulses with the raw energy of youth and the complexities of identity in a multicultural world. Aber crafts a narrative that is both intimate and expansive, exploring the intricate web of personal history, cultural heritage, and artistic ambition.
The novel's greatest strength lies in its vivid portrayal of Berlin's underground scene, which becomes a character in its own right. Aber's prose is electric, capturing the frenetic energy of techno clubs and the stark realities of immigrant life with equal vividness.
Nila is a compelling protagonist, her struggles with identity and belonging resonating deeply in our current global climate. The author deftly explores themes of cultural assimilation, the weight of family expectations, and the universal desire to find one's place in the world.
The introduction of Marlowe Woods adds an intriguing dimension to the story, serving as both a catalyst for Nila's growth and a mirror reflecting the often harsh realities of the artistic world. Through this relationship, Aber examines power dynamics, cultural appropriation, and the sometimes murky ethics of the literary world.
"Good Girl" is not just a coming-of-age story, but a powerful exploration of what it means to be an artist, an immigrant, and a young woman in today's world. Aber's unflinching look at issues of race, class, and gender adds depth and relevance to the narrative.
While the novel tackles heavy themes, it never loses its sense of vitality. The author's ability to balance moments of ecstatic joy with periods of introspection and darkness showcases her remarkable talent.
In conclusion, "Good Girl" announces Aria Aber as a formidable new voice in contemporary fiction. Her debut is a tour de force that combines lyrical prose, complex characters, and timely themes into a truly unforgettable reading experience. This novel will undoubtedly resonate with readers long after the final page is turned.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) | Bloomsbury Circus, and the author, Aria Aber, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
October 2, 2024
It was an incredibly intimate and emotional story, the way this author makes you feel everything Nila feels is incredible, I was so invested and immersed in her life, it’s the type of coming of age book that you can’t put down, the characters are complex and with so much energy they feel real, I was very pleased by the ending and felt a true connection to the main character
thank you net galley and the publisher for the arc
thank you net galley and the publisher for the arc
September 26, 2024
The techno, druggie underbelly of Berlin is where a young Afghan girl finds an older inappropriate lover, loses herself, finds her art and possibly the way to her real self. The writing is sublime but the novel is too long and rather repetitive.
October 4, 2024
Desire can’t be girdled, especially not eh lavish life altering catastrophic kind that girls feel
October 3, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.
I really don’t want hating “All This Could Be Different” by Sarah Thankam Mathews to be a core part of my identity here, but I simply could not help but notice the many clichéd parallels between that book and this one (Mathews even blurbs this book, go figure): a sullen narrator whose big secret is that she’s hiding a core aspect of her identity from her friends (in this case, her Afghani background*), parents whose entire narrative revolves around their diasporic despair after leaving their home country, a shitty white addict partner with whom she engages in degrading sex and later, light DV, vague mumblings about Marxist philosophy, flat depictions of people of color who exist as window dressings to the narrator, and annoying white friends who are placed on a pedestal and simultaneously treated as complex and nuanced while being impossible to tell apart.
There are so many other narrative cliches that exist in this book - the use of photography and musings about the creative process to lend color to an otherwise unpleasant narrator, getting found out by a family member about her dalliances with a white guy in a supremely far-fetched manner, falling in love with another girl as a teenager, the Dead Parent of it all, flattened toxic family members whose conservative attitudes exist in opposition to the narrator’s unruliness, ending the book with the narrator getting into college and leaving her city and therefore opting out of a satisfying conclusion, a fucking hate crime at the climax that fizzles out to nothing. Please, I’m so tired!
Two stars for some inspired turns of phrases.
*side note: the narrator kept mentioning over and over again how she’d tell people she’s Israeli when they would ask where she’s from. I get this is to show her shame over being perceived as an other, but this goes mostly unquestioned and just feels gross to read when Israel is committing a genocide in front of our eyes.
I really don’t want hating “All This Could Be Different” by Sarah Thankam Mathews to be a core part of my identity here, but I simply could not help but notice the many clichéd parallels between that book and this one (Mathews even blurbs this book, go figure): a sullen narrator whose big secret is that she’s hiding a core aspect of her identity from her friends (in this case, her Afghani background*), parents whose entire narrative revolves around their diasporic despair after leaving their home country, a shitty white addict partner with whom she engages in degrading sex and later, light DV, vague mumblings about Marxist philosophy, flat depictions of people of color who exist as window dressings to the narrator, and annoying white friends who are placed on a pedestal and simultaneously treated as complex and nuanced while being impossible to tell apart.
There are so many other narrative cliches that exist in this book - the use of photography and musings about the creative process to lend color to an otherwise unpleasant narrator, getting found out by a family member about her dalliances with a white guy in a supremely far-fetched manner, falling in love with another girl as a teenager, the Dead Parent of it all, flattened toxic family members whose conservative attitudes exist in opposition to the narrator’s unruliness, ending the book with the narrator getting into college and leaving her city and therefore opting out of a satisfying conclusion, a fucking hate crime at the climax that fizzles out to nothing. Please, I’m so tired!
Two stars for some inspired turns of phrases.
*side note: the narrator kept mentioning over and over again how she’d tell people she’s Israeli when they would ask where she’s from. I get this is to show her shame over being perceived as an other, but this goes mostly unquestioned and just feels gross to read when Israel is committing a genocide in front of our eyes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews