Book Review: A Lonely Girl Is A Dangerous Thing

Almost every character in this book is entirely unlikeable, but there's a darkness and starkness to the writing that won't allow you to put the book down.

Source: Allen & Unwin

A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing follows Jena Liu, a 22 year old Chinese Australian living in the shadow of her past as a violin child prodigy.

Jena is desperate to fill the void left by her fame. Without that success, Jena is painfully lonely. As someone without a socialised childhood, she’s awkward, self-deprecating and fills the void the only way she knows how - with a sex addiction.

Almost every character in this book is entirely unlikeable, especially Jena, but the insight into her emotional detachment and chronic loneliness made her questionable morals almost forgivable.

This book is fairly emotionless. There are no thrilling highs or devastating lows. No enveloping moments of satisfaction, joy, or sadness. This story is about emptiness, but there’s a darkness and a starkness to the writing that wouldn’t allow me to put this book down.

Overall, whilst this book has had really mixed reviews and at times it’s uncomfortable and sexually graphic, for me it was a refreshingly stereotypically defiant and original story.

7/10

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