Thirty Girls
First edition (US) | |
| Author | Susan Minot |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Knopf (US) Fourth Estate (UK) |
| Publication place | United States |
Thirty Girls is a 2014 novel by American writer Susan Minot. The novel alternates between the perspective of a girl kidnapped by the forces of Joseph Kony and an American woman reporting on the kidnapping.
Composition and writing
Minot began writing the book in 2005, and she completed it in 2013.[1][2] The novel alternates between the perspectives of Jane, an American writer in writing about women kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony and that of Esther Akello, a former kidnapping victim.[3] Minot had previously written about victims of kidnapping in a McSweeney's article titled "This We Came to Know Afterward".[4] She drew from her reporting while writing Thirty Girls.
Minot was impacted by the serious subject matter while writing, which she dealt with by writing short stories and compiling notes for other novels.[5]
Reception
Critical reception
In its review of the novel, Kirkus Reviews praised the novel's prose, but criticized the plot, writing: "[...] there is a secondhand feel to Esther’s story, which plays fiddle to Jane’s navel-gazing."[6]
Honors
The novel was included on the list published by The Economist of the best books of 2014.[7]
References
- ^ Hafford, Michael (October 27, 2014). "The Rumpus Interview with Susan Minot". The Rumpus. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Blythe, Will (January 28, 2014). "Susan Minot's Torrid World of Individual Desire". ELLE. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Ciabattari, Jane (February 12, 2014). "Harrowing Memories, Intersecting Lives In 'Thirty Girls'". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "The Dish: Talking with Susan Minot, author of 'Thirty Girls'". The Daily Journal. February 13, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Causey, Michael (March 6, 2014). "Interview with Susan Minot". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "THIRTY GIRLS | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. February 11, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Page turners". The Economist. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2021.