The Girls by Ceri Williams

The Girls is a novel that spans the life of Rachel.It is a dark and violent tale of a child/woman who is a tragic heroine despite her proclivity for violence.
Tracking the accelerating madness of Rachel and the causes behind this, the novel explores her childhood in Norway.the brutality of her parents and the abuse within a south african boarding school by shadowy men known only as the grey men.
She turns her abuse into anger .Fuelled by injustice,a discrete set of mind lists that she ticks off. She seeks out men who she feels are social predators.Her punishments range from murder and torture to the shadowy realms of sado -masochism and the lure of internet dating sites as a means of finding fodder.
The novel dips in and out of her life.Moving between timelines.There are points where she appears lucid and can hold down professional jobs ,and sections where she spins off into ever increasing madness.It is never clear which parts of her personality are operating.
The Girls is a metaphor.For the child she was,for the woman she becomes,and for the myriad of supernatural beings that she connects with.
She is an isolated character who assumes roles and personalities to mirror the requirements of the moment.
It is a blend of supernatural/horror and suspense. Focussing on the real or imagined abuse of Rachel it is a 21st century fairy tale .