Girl One

This book can be dense, but that comes with the territory of many literary fictions I believe. An interesting idea, about women being “conceived” without male DNA. Definitely has the vibes of those older literary fiction classics, and it truly makes you think about modern science and life...amongst other things of course!

This is the second book today that I have finished that I am glad I read but I couldn't connect with so, therefore, did not love it, I think as much as I want to give high marks for the books that I receive from NetGalley this might be my first two-star reads. I'm sorry. The tale is spun around Girl One who was born in 1971 without any kind of male DNA. She would be the first of nine daughters. She was being raised in an experimental commune called “The Homestead” with her creator, Dr. Joseph Bellanger, and the other mothers and daughters until a suspicious fire takes two lives, and those remaining scattered across the USA, choosing to distance themselves from the experiment and each other. Then we fast-forward to 1994 where Jose 1994, Josephine is studying in Chicago with the hope of following in her “father's” footsteps until she learns of her mother Margaret's disappearance on the news. She returns to her mother's home and finds that again there has been a fire, and her mother's car and purse are there even though she is not.
An interesting concept so far, right? Girl One returns to find her mother with not much to go on. The only clue to her whereabouts-a phone # for a reporter from the Kansas City Telegraph-named Thomas Abbott. This sparks a road trip where more mother-daughter pairs are discovered that rather stay hidden. At this point, you might be thinking why did I request this book if I am being so harsh? Every so often I am intrigued by a plot that changes or challenges the status quo of society so this caught my attention. But despite my interest, I found the pace slow and the chapters very long! That being said it does pick up in the second half and you do get a sense of resolution at the end. If this is your genre of choice then you will love it. For me personally, I was glad I stepped out of my comfort zone but I didn't connect with it. I will be out on the lookout for more from this author just out of curiosity.

Sara Flannery Murphy gives us a heroine to root for in Josie. Girl One is a genetically engineered sci-fi suspense story. It has red herrings, bad guys, quasi bad guys, and paranoia. It is so good.

Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms. Link in bio.