Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy of Lucy Clarke’s One of the Girls.
During a hen weekend ( bachelorette party for American readers) at a dramatic cliffside mansion in Greece, copious amounts of alcohol will be consumed, secrets will be spilled, and one person will end up dead.
One of the Girls is told through flashbacks and chapters that alternate between all of the party attendees- Lexi: the newly pregnant bachelorette with a wild girl past, Bella: Lexi’s childhood friend who is still wild, Fen: Bella’s girlfriend, Robyn: Single mother and childhood friend to both Bella and Lexi, Ana: Lexi’s newest friend from yoga class, and Eleanor: socially awkward, soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Clarke begins the story with the reveal that a person will die during the course of the trip, but cleverly teases out the reveal, not sharing the victim or cause until very end of the book. There are many, many near-misses, where it seems clear that a certain person is the victim and then it is revealed that they escaped death. This aspect kept me turning the pages, but it also wore on me. There were a handful too many close-calls that bogged down the pacing in the final chapters. Ultimately, the victim and situation provided a satisfying conclusion and each character had their own story resolved in a way that was honest and satisfactory.
I found the dynamics among the women to be more intriguing than the murder-mystery element. It was relatable. Bella knows that time has changed her friendships with both Robyn and Lexi. Bella clings to the past and struggles to accept that she is growing older as well. When Robyn has a child and gets divorced, Bella doesn’t know how to relate to her and simply removes herself from their friendship. This has gone on for years and makes it uncomfortable when the women are reunited on this trip. Additionally, Bella is envious of the friendship that Lexi has developed with newcomer, Ana. Lexi and Ana’s friendship is forged out of a shared love for quiet, reflective activities, such as yoga and coffee, rather than the nightclubs and teenage antics that Bella and Lexi shared. To add to the frustration, Bella organized the weekend with the intention of heavy drinking and crazy parties, but none of the other women are interested, including the bachelorette, who is newly pregnant, a reveal made in Greece. To further complicate Bella’s life, she is on the verge of breaking up with Fen. Bella feels the most isolated and alone on a party weekend that she planned.
Bella might be the most complex character, but all of the women face their own challenges when relating to the other women. If I had read this story in my late-teens/early-20’s, I’m not sure that I would have related to the shifting of friendships, as at that age, it seems like things will stay the same forever. However, having middle-age hindsight, the shuffling of friendships that occur in late 20’s/30’s is a real thing. Careers and family situations change so much during this time, that often friendships struggle to weather the storm and new friendships develop. Bella’s resistance to change and the fact that she has not experienced motherhood, both put her on the outside.
I enjoyed One of the Girls, primarily for the strong character development. I also appreciated Clarke’s well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading her other novels.
