Thirty Girls

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.

Thirty Girls
AuthorSusan Minot
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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
  1. Hafford, Michael (27 October 2014). "The Rumpus Interview with Susan Minot". The Rumpus. The Rumpus. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. Blythe, Will (28 January 2014). "Susan Minot's Torrid World of Individual Desire". ELLE. ELLE. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  3. Ciabattari, Jane (12 February 2014). "Harrowing Memories, Intersecting Lives In 'Thirty Girls'". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  4. "The Dish: Talking with Susan Minot, author of 'Thirty Girls'". The Daily Journal. The Daily Journal. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  5. Causey, Michael (6 March 2014). "Interview with Susan Minot". Washington Independent Review of Books. Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. "THIRTY GIRLS | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Reviews. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  7. "Page turners". The Economist. The Economist. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
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