The Girl in Cell A by Vaseem Khan

This novel starts slowly, moves to a mystery whodunnit, through to an almost incredulous thriller, then an intense psychological episode and ends with an unexpected flip - and then some. Phew.

Set in Eden Falls, USA. A teenage girl murders her father, is imprisoned and applies for parole. She claims that she is innocent but can't remember the time of the killing. At the same time, her half-sister disappears without trace. The story is told from two first person perspectives: the psychologist (therapist) who interviews 'the Girl in Cell A' as part of a parole application report. These chapters are called 'Then'.  The 'Girl', eighteen years later and free, tells her story in chapters called 'Now.'

At the beginning of the book there is lots of exposition, including the transcripts of the trial and psychological principles, interspersed with opinions and theories in the therapist's sections. Meanwhile, the Girl goes back to her hometown and the family members are introduced. Each one is a suspect in her mind and the characters are vivid. Some of her activities stretch the imagination a little, but serve to add tension.

Once past the start, this is an intriguing, clever and exciting story that deals with family, truth, memory, guilt, and belonging. It is a long book  (almost 600 pages) but really well worth a read with many things to think about.

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Published by Hodder & Stoughton on 1 May 2025.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

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