The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop is a strong debut about the stories we tell ourselves in order to protect ourselves from traumatic experiences. This book touches on the #MeToo movement and gave me lots to think about through the experiences of Rachel, the main character. Take a look at the synopsis below:
The Girls of Summer
By Katie Bishop | Goodreads
“That place has been my whole life. Everything I thought I knew about myself was constructed in those few months I spent within touching distance of the sea. Everything I am is because Alistair loved me.”
Rachel has been in love with Alistair for fifteen years. Even though she’s now married to someone else. Even though she was a teenager when they met. Even though he is twenty years older than her.
Rachel and Alistair’s summer love affair on a remote, sun-trapped Greek island has consumed her since she was seventeen, obliterating everything in its wake. But as Rachel becomes increasingly obsessed with reliving the events of so long ago, she reconnects with the other girls who were similarly drawn to life on the island, where the nights were long, the alcohol was free-flowing and everyone acted in ways they never would at home. And as she does so, dark and deeply suppressed secrets about her first love affair begin to rise to the surface, as well as the truth about her time working for an enigmatic and wealthy man, who controlled so much more than she could have ever realized.
Joining a post #MeToo discourse, The Girls of Summer grapples with themes of power, sex, and consent, as it explores the complicated nature of memory and trauma––and what it takes to reframe, and reclaim, your own story.
Content notes include rape, sexual assault, adult/minor relationship, suicide, abortion and infidelity.
The Girls of Summer – Review
Told in two timelines, The Girls of Summer is an exploration of the walls we build around ourselves when we are unable to process trauma and grief. Rachel had not even finished high school when she decided to accompany her friend on a trip to Greece. They arrived on a beautiful island that promised sunshine, drinks and freedom. They met many girls who were fellow travellers. Some were taking a break from studies before they joined university. Others were on a quick break. Life on the island was attractive though and the possibility of getting work led many girls to extend their trips and enjoy their freedom for a little longer.
From the 17 year old perspective
Rachel was seventeen years old when she came to the island. Rachel portrays an atmosphere of parties, freedom, drinks and drugs. Alistair hires her at his boss’s bar that he manages. He tells her she is special but wants to keep their relationship secret due to the conflicting work relationship. She doesn’t mind, soaking up the exhilaration from the attentions of an older man. This is the first time she has ever been in love.
While Rachel’s portrayal of her time on the island is rosy, as an outsider, it is impossible to ignore the glaring exploitation of the girls. They are enticed into the bartending business and then exposed to drugs and sex. Sometimes they remember, sometimes they don’t. Horrific things happen. Though Rachel does get a glimpse of them, she is usually so tied up with keeping Alistair happy and ensuring he is in Henry (his employer)’s good books that she does not question the things she sees and the things she does.
It is heartbreaking to see a young woman put in these situations. She is isolated by his love and does not have any real friends amongst the girls she lives and works with. The Girls of Summers depicts a toxic relationship between Rachel and Alistair but she is naive and does not see it this way. It was interesting being her seventeen year old shoes and feeling helpless. Thankfully, she makes a friend in Jules who sees Alistair’s organizaiton for what it is. This divides them but it also lets Rachel have someone solid to go to in her time of need.
From the older woman perspective
In present time, almost two decades have passed and Rachel is a married woman. She never imagined settling down after her love affair on the island but she did. Her husband feels like it is time for them to start a new chapter in their lives with a baby but something is stopping Rachel. She is not admitting to herself and it is tied closely to her past. The Girls of Summer portrays the crumbling marriage between Tom and Rachel. She had never been completely honest with herself so it makes sense that he did not get her honesty either. She has always thought fondly of her summer on the island and when a vacation there so many years later reconnects her with Helena, a girl who worked alongside her then, and Alistair, the man from her unfinished romance, Rachel cannot stop herself from re-experiencing the passion of those days.
She throws away her stable married life in order to be with someone who left her. I wanted to shake Rachel so bad. Helena tries to warn her and eventually forces her to see the truth that is buried deep in the past. Rachel’s positive version of her Greece trip is an illusion and scared her in ways she hides from herself. As Rachel sees Alistair more, she is reminded of her return from the island. It was another heartbreaking moment to see how her family reacted to her decisions and I suspect that part of Rachel’s denial is located in her family’s dismissiveness of the experience. When your parents don’t want your truth to be true, what does that do to a person?
The girls
Over time, Rachel is forced to see other perspectives of the time on the island. She meets other women who were there and begrudgingly at first, a new friendship begins. Rachel may be the narrator but there are many female characters who play an integral role in the book. Priya, Helena, Kiera and Agnes had different reasons to come to the island and what they took away from that experience was drastically different too. I loved Priya’s courage to look deeper into the past that she escaped and Helena’s strength to put new roots. I commended Agnes for her resilience and the wake-up call she experienced when she became friends with Kiera. Jules is another character who is present in both timelines and she may be the only one who knows the true extent of the trauma Rachel is not processing.
Overall, The Girls of Summer is an addictive read. Reconciling Rachel from her teen years to her forties was an interesting journey and I liked how much she grew, even though it was so very hard for her. The #MeToo movement plays an important role in the second half of the book and because of that, the story felt a little too long for me. But it needed that conclusion and it was an empowering end. Katie Bishop did an amazing job as a debut author, weaving together a narrative of unprocessed past, longing for an unfinished romance, the dying flames of a marriage and the power of shared experiences, no matter how detestable they may be.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book for an honest review. Check out tomorrow for an interview with Katie Bishop.
Sounds like an intriguing read, Kriti. I could also see this narrative making a great movie.
Yes, you are right. It would! 🙂