Julien, a therapist specializing in psychological control, makes her creative nonfiction debut by telling her childhood story.
Julien grew up in an isolated estate where her father raised her to become a superior being.
Without taking away from Juliens actual experiences, what she accomplishes as an author and storyteller is impressive.
Credit: Little, Brown and Company
Its hard to overstate the achievement, of relaying years of real trauma with poetic immediacy.
The first half is especially stunning: Her writing ferociously juxtaposes childlike innocence with the increasingly unhinged.
Juliens care for telling her story in a lucid way is evident, and strangely empowering.
You wonder how anyone who went through what she did could come out functioning on the other side.
ThatThe Only Girl in the Worldexists as it does is a most persuasive argument for Juliens remarkable willpower.
We experience the exhausted, pained release of the books final line right along with her.
I got out of my parents house, Julien writes.
