Good Girl

A Novel

By: Aria Aber

Narrated by: Mozhan Navabi

“An exhilarating debut novel” (R.O. Kwon, The New York Times Book Review) about the daughter of Afghan refugees and her year of 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.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • FINALIST FOR THE EDMUND WHITE AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION AND THE VERMONT BOOK AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD AND THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • A BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, Elle, Electric Lit, The Skinny

“A no-bullsh*t, must-read debut.”—Kaveh Akbar
“Kaleidoscopic, full of style and soul.”—Raven Leilani
“Aber writes with . . . masterful precision.”—Leila Lalami, The Atlantic

"Once in a blue moon a debut novel comes along, announcing a voice quite unlike any other, with a layered story and sentences that crackle and pop, begging to be read aloud. Aria Aber’s splendid Good Girl introduces just such a voice . . . Aber, an award-winning poet, strikes gold here, much like Kaveh Akbar did in last year’s acclaimed Martyr!"—Los Angeles Times

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.

Vivid and addicting

Vivid intoxicating descriptions that brought me into the story and made me emotionally connect with the protagonists and her need for meaning and belonging while navigating sex, violence, first generation trauma, sexism and art. I enjoyed all of it!

The Realism

Everything down to the writing of substances to the naivety of being in an abusive situation was so captivating. It felt like I was listening to her mature through all of the events she went through. But most of all, the inner reflection on her journey. So freaking beautifully written and I do not regret preordering this book!

Haunting

Haunting and soulful biography. Wish it delved into her future but glad she left Marlowe. Would love to hear more from her father’s perspective.

Rebel, Rebel

Lots of potential here because Ms. Aber is a smart, talented writer. The segments focused on her family's story were excellent. While the insight into Berlin's club scene were interesting, I didn't find anything positive about a grown man having a sexual relationship with a teenage girl. The author seemed to glamorize/romanticize the connection between the two. I stopped listening after I realized that the love interest, whom I found loathsome and not at all in an interesting way, wasn't going away.

pretentious but good moments

This book is a great reminder of how self-absorbed and boring young adults can be. The writing is painfully pretentious at times, but there was enough here to keep me listening. It has the sprawling quality of Kushner's THE FLAMETHROWERS and the auto-fiction trauma of Russell's MY DARK VANESSA, but not quite as compelling as either. Aber is great at scene-setting and character building and -- although GOOD GIRL didn't completely really work for me -- I'm definitely interested in what she's going to write next.