The Girls I've Been

Broken down into parts and we're given the timing for each part. Within this, we are also given an update on how much time has passed during each new chapter. It allows easy tracking of where we are in the book, and how long until the bank robbery is over.

We're instantly able to see the dynamic of the relationships between the three characters. Iris and Wes don't really have one, Wes doesn't like Nora, and Iris is defensive about her. While we are shown the characters straight away, what we do not know is why they are at the bank. They are, and they are trying to get something over quickly, but it isn't established what, 'that' is yet.

We are also introduced to her way of thinking. As soon as the gunman pulls his gun out, she takes note of everything of importance. His eye colour, how tall he is, what he is wearing etc. which just shows what kind of life she had lived beforehand.

Every few chapters a new part of her life is introduced. Someone that she cares about, with it first being Iris, and then moving over to her sister Lee. This way of introducing characters when the main character knows them already is much better than trying to shoehorn it in whilst something completely different is going on.

As the chapters go on we are sent all over the place. At times it seemed a little random, but by the end, it would perfectly link in with what was going on during the bank robbery. We are able to not only be told about her past but also see certain parts. How far her mother was willing to go for a heist, she didn't really care about the harm that came to her daughter, not unless it jeopardised the plan.

These details aren't only being revealed to us slowly But also to her current girlfriend. Quite early on she is able to tell her some things, talking to her about certain parts of her life but never having the time to go on a deep dive and let her know everything. She doesn't want to lose her, so she feels helpless when Iris slowly learns more and more details. She has to focus on the main task at hand though, which is why she doesn't have the ability to tell her everything. She has to work through this con while also wanting to, trying to protect the other people trapped with her, which is not her usual style.

More insights into her past are given and we are able to see how she was slowly broken down by the people around her. How she really has no sense of herself. She wasn't able to grow and experience things like a normal kid. As she mentions when talking about a guy, one of the marks, tried to groom her but wasn't able to. It was because her mother got to her first. Grooming her into the con artist that she grew into. Like a younger version of herself.

However, that isn't the end of the story. Just because she was taught who to be by her mother doesn't mean that she didn't learn things on her own. Not only did she become someone who was an accumulation of all her mother's lessons, but she also improved on everything. Surpassing her mother, and getting her put in jail.

The story isn't over though. This arc might have ended, but there is still so much that could happen. We don't know what is going to happen to Nora, Wes, Iris or Lee. We only know that there is a storm brewing. Whether Raymond, her stepfather and the one who wants to kill her, catches up or chooses to let it go, we don't know.

I would definitely recommend this book. Not only are the characters interesting, and the story intriguing, but the way this book is constructed is wonderfully done. It isn't a linear storyline. There are a lot of different fonts, and information about timings are constantly given. Not only that, but every little thing collected, that could possibly help them in their quest for freedom, is shown at the start of each chapter along with the current plan, what number it is and all the failed ones beforehand.

There is a lot more to this book than initially meets the eye. It might seem to be only about the bank robbery at first, but there is an underlying story throughout the whole thing that accumulates at the end and the final scenes of the heist-gone-wrong show who Nora is as a character now. The exploration of abuse was done really well too. It was convincing, made me angry on their behalf, and being one of the main messages from this book I can say that the job done here was amazing. Loved this book.

book: The Girls I've Been

author: Tess Sharpe