A fascinating, uncomfortable read, About a Girl will stick with you long after reading.
The first collection of short stories set in Philip Purser-Hallard’s City of the Saved has been exceptionally popular. It had 4.5 stars on GoodReads and 4 on LibraryThing, and every review I have seen so far has been positive: Andrew Hickey called it “probably the best collection of SF stories you’ll read this year”; JD Burton said “it is an amazing collection of stories – not only with no duds, but nothing even ‘average’ ”; Lawrence Burton said “We need more of these authors and more of the City of the Saved”.
About a Girl has received its share of the praise, with fellow author Richard Wright naming it one of his favourites (although there’s an ambiguous use of “in contrast” that might mean he hates it), and JD Burton calling it intense and highly recommended. It wasn’t for everyone, though, with Andrew Hickey finding the cast of celebrities and historical figures too limiting.
Probably one of the most poignant shorts I’ve read in a long time: truly a phenomenal achievement.