Girl A

For readers of Room and Sharp Objects , Girl A is a psychologically immersive novel about a young woman who escapes captivity—but not the secrets that haunt her life.

She thought she had escaped her past. But there are things you can't leave behind.

Lex Gracie doesn't want to think about her family. She doesn't want to think about growing up in the House of Horrors. And she doesn't want to think about her identity as Girl A, the one who escaped, the one who freed her older brother and the four younger ones.

It's easy to avoid her parents: her father never left the House of Horrors he created, and her mother spent the rest of her life behind bars. But when her mother dies in prison and leaves the family home to her children, Lex can no longer run from her past. With her sister Evie, Lex plans to transform the House of Horrors into a community center for good. But first, she must reconcile with her siblings—and the childhood they shared.

What begins as a thrilling story of escape and survival becomes a gripping psychological drama about the alliances and betrayals between brothers—and the secrets they keep from themselves and each other. Who has each of them become? How do their memories challenge or contradict Lex's? As he pressures each brother to agree to their final act, Lex discovers the potent mythology surrounding his family, who among them remains enslaved by the past, and who has truly broken free.

“Fantastic.” — Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

“Nothing short of haunting... Rarely does a novel offer such a singular plot, such shocking psychological drama, and such a rich portrayal of its characters. A modern classic.” — Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector

“A disturbing and powerful book, whose mystery is not who committed the crime, but how to continue with life afterward... The tension propels the story with scenes of genuine fear, right up to the moving and perfect ending... Dean tells this story with great nuance and humanity.” — The New York Times

"The author skillfully presents the complicated relationships between the brothers, as well as the secrets they share, in a dramatic way. This insightful psychological thriller marks Dean as a writer to watch." — Publishers Weekly