Murder mystery set in CORNWALL
A novel of BERLIN
2nd April 2025
Good Girl by Aria Aber, a novel of BERLIN.
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025.
This book is a combination of themes and genres: part coming-of-age, a narrative of Berlin, a story of the immigrant experience in the city and, ultimately, the experience of one young woman growing up in the fabled metropolis.
Nila is from an Afghan family, her parents fled to Germany and she has been growing up in Gropiusstadt, living
with her father since her mother died. Her father has clearly been abusive to her – even when her mother was alive, trying to asphyxiate her with a pillow but not going the whole hog. Now she is still subject to his interrogations and brusque manner, but she makes her escape by going out in Berlin’s club scene, which, of course, involves copious substance abuse.
Her heritage is Afghan, she is of a darker appearance and when quizzed about her roots, she often says she is Greek. She sees Iranians as ‘the right Persians‘ as opposed to Afghans, whom she considers a ‘barbarian breed‘. Over her years in the city, she cannot help but be truly aware of the racism and the attacks carried out on perceived “Kan*ken” – a derisory term for certain kinds of immigrants
She meets Marlowe, an older man who slots right into the abusive mould, already modelled by her father, engaging then withholding. Finally he hits her head against a wall. Nevertheless she is seduced, both literally and metaphorically by his sly manipulation and control.
She is drawn towards photography and is offered places by a couple of institutions in London to further her studies but, given the pull of her relationship with Marlowe, she bottles going.
A great deal of her time is spent in the Bunker, an insalubrious night club – of which, of course, there are many in Berlin. In the first half of the novel every few pages she is snorting something or taking pills, which becomes a crushing bore. Naturally, this lifestyle underlines her fragile mental state but as a reader looking in on her experience, it feels like more of the same as the story drifts along. She poses herself the question “..why was I plagued by some strange splinter, why did I have to snort every drug and go to every party, always running farther than everyone else, toward the nucleus of darkness and ecstasy?” Indeed, a bit of therapy might have been helpful to her.
The city comes to life in all its darkness and grubbiness, the smells, the graffiti, the destitute people ensconced on the pavements, and at times it feels clichéd. The story relentlessly wallows in its sordid elements, with its rank, self-denigratory theme. The writing really lifts the narrative and, depressing as the story is, it does have something about it.
Both these novels – Berlin by Bea Setton and I Laugh Me Broken by Bridget van den Zijpp to get a good feel of the city – both are more measured in their depiction of the good and bad sides of living in the city and have a lighter, less dour feel. They also felt quite ‘real’.
Good Girl does have an eye-catching cover so I am sure plenty of people will be buying it!
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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