The Eighth Girl : A Novel
Author(s): Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
Optioned by Netflix and a most anticipated book from Bustle, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and LitHub!
An unsettling, seductive psychological thriller about a young woman with multiple personalities, perfect for fans of Caroline Kepnes and Clare Mackintosh
"An electrifying, thought-provoking, and unflinching novel." —Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee
“An exceptional debut from a talented author.” —Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go
Beautiful. Damaged. Destructive. Meet Alexa Wú, a brilliant yet darkly self-aware young woman whose chaotic life is controlled by a series of alternate personalities.
When Alexa’s friend Ella gets a job at a high-end gentlemen’s club, she catches the attention of its shark-like owner and is gradually drawn into his inner circle. As Alexa’s world becomes intimately entangled with Ella’s, she soon finds herself the unwitting keeper of a nightmarish secret as she follows Ella into London’s cruel underbelly. Threatened and vulnerable, Alexa will discover whether her multiple personalities are her greatest asset, or her most dangerous obstacle.
Electrifying and breathlessly compulsive, The Eighth Girl is an omnivorous examination of life with mental illness and the acute trauma of living in a misogynist world. With bingeable prose and a clinician’s expertise, Chung’s psychological debut deftly explores identity, innocence, and the fracturing weight that young women are forced to carry, causing us to ask: Does the truth lead to self-discovery, or to self-destruction?
Review(s):
“Chung does an excellent job balancing the ensuing dramatic tension with a sharp portrayal of [dissociative identity] disorder, which also plays a crucial role in building suspense.”
“An authentic and heart-rending page-turner. An exceptional debut from a talented author. I can't wait to see what she writes next.”
“[S]tunning and disturbing…Chung’s compelling debut plumbs the depths of trauma and its long-lasting effects on the human psyche.”
"[D]ark and disturbing, this psychological thriller, told in the voice of multiple unreliable narrators, is filled with surprises until the end, and is a fresh take on the suspense genre."
“[A] fascinating debut.”
"Fans of psychological thrillers will be curious to see what Mei-Fung Chung comes up with next."
“I am so impressed. I love Chung’s writing: The sheer joy she takes in the tones of the separate personalities, and the skill of her negotiation of what is actually a very complicated plot. It’s a brave and ambitious book.”
“Intricately plotted and sensitively written, The Eighth Girl draws the reader into the dark heart of London’s underworld with relentless tension until the shock of the final reveal.”
“Deftly written by an author whose professional expertise shines through, I was captivated by The Eighth Girl. A dark and disturbing tale set in London’s gritty underbelly, The Eighth Girl asks big questions about identity, truth and society.”
“A multilayered and compelling exploration of Dissociative Identity Disorder. The author’s expertise of the subject is clear. Intelligent, sensitive and totally engrossing.”
ISBN: 9780062978967