Review: Aria Aber's debut novel ‘Good Girl' marks her as a writer to watch
JEDDAH: In her debut novel 'Good Girl,' German-born poet Aria Aber writes a raw tableau of contemporary German society, plunging readers into post-9/11 psyche through the eyes of Nila, a 19-year-old Afghan German girl.
For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle
As Nila stumbles through Berlin's underground techno scene, the city emerges as a character that, like her, is fractured and being forged anew. Berlin seems to be in the throes of struggling to reinvent itself amidst rising Islamophobia and neo-Nazi violence, while Nila's quest for selfhood emerges in her rebellion against the suffocating expectations imposed on Afghan girls and the identity crisis born out of living in a society that seems suspicious of her presence.
It's a tale as old as the human desire for movement and refuge: Nila is too Afghan for German society, and too German for the Afghan community, with both watching her every move. Aber's raw and fragmented narrative style mirrors her character's splintered identity while capturing her 'violent desire' to live and her aching need to belong and to be accepted as she is.
Though the novel occasionally stumbles with uneven pacing and moments that may seem repetitive or overwritten, what sets it apart is the author's refusal to sanitize or sermonize. Nila's messy, unconventional path to self-discovery remains unapologetically hers.
The emotional core of the novel lies in the tension between expectations placed on girls and the honor-based abuse that simmers beneath. Nila's parents, progressive by diaspora standards, permit her artistic pursuits and eschew strict traditions. Yet their insistence on a 'good girl' image still carries an undercurrent of control that constrains her freedom.
Ultimately, 'Good Girl' is a young woman's howl against a world that demands she shrink, marking Aber as a writer to watch.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Review: Ginny & Georgia
The emotionally charged third season of Netflix's 'Ginny & Georgia' dropped earlier this month and has hovered steadily in the top 10 shows in the Kingdom since. This season, the show focuses even more strongly on the fast-talking, faster-thinking Georgia, a single mother with bleached-blonde Southern belle looks whose dark past is fast catching up with her. Flashbacks — some heartbreaking, others alarming — offer glimpses of her past life. The story picks up moments after the dramatic finale of season two. Georgia is arrested, still wearing her wedding dress after a picture-perfect ceremony with Paul Randolph, the town's popular mayor, as her two children and the whole town look on in horror. The death of a seemingly minor character triggers a chain reaction that threatens Georgia's carefully cultivated fairy-tale life. Mayor Paul must decide between his new bride and his political career. He chooses the easy way out, but everyone knows there is no such thing. His life gets increasingly more complicated — as do the lives of every man, woman, and child drawn into Georgia's orbit. They love her anyway. But at what cost? The headlines swiftly label Georgia the 'Mayoress Murderess.' This is not just a catchy phrase. We soon find out that she has been accused of murder before — and more than once. Is she a serial killer? But this is not only Georgia's story. Ginny, her 16-year-old daughter, is a budding poet trying to navigate a new chapter in her life, while dealing with school pressures, fragile friendships, and the growing realization that she is now the one keeping her mother in line. Meanwhile, Ginny's younger brother Austin ditches his dark-rimmed, Harry Potter-style glasses with no lenses — his emotional security blanket in earlier seasons — and begins shedding his childhood innocence. He is no longer someone who can be overlooked. The comparisons to the cult classic 'Gilmore Girls,' which aired from 2000 to 2007, still apply. Like Lorelai, Georgia is a teen mom who ran away from her hometown to raise a daughter on her own, far away from the parents she never got along with. But Ginny, Georgia, and Austin do not live in Stars Hollow. They settled in the fictional town of Wellsbury. Amid the drama, the show does not shy away from more challenging subjects, including eating disorders, self harm, and depression, which are handled with more nuance than in earlier seasons. When a new life-changing secret is revealed in the final minute of the finale, the stage is set for an inevitable fourth season.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Giorgio Armani, 90, Will Not Attend Runway Shows During Milan Fashion Week
Giorgio Armani will not be present to take his bows as usual after the upcoming Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani runway shows during Milan Fashion Week, his fashion house announced Friday. The designer is currently recovering at home, the fashion house said in a brief statement that offered no details about his condition. Armani, 90, is marking 50 years of his eponymous fashion house this year. He turns 91 on July 11. Although he cannot be there in person, he will closely follow every phase of the shows, the statement said. His longtime collaborator and head of menswear design, Leo Dell'Orco, will give the closing bows. The Spring–Summer 2026 Emporio Armani menswear collection will be previewed on Saturday during Milan Fashion Week. The Giorgio Armani menswear collection is scheduled to close the mostly menswear shows on Monday. The statement said that Armani had worked with his usual dedication on the new collections. Known for his strong work ethic, Armani even spent his 90th birthday at work. During his first live show after pandemic lockdowns, Armani, in June 2021, showed off a long scar from surgery to his left arm due to a fall during a visit to the cinema soon after winter pandemic restrictions were lifted. Nonetheless, he managed to help prepare for that menswear show as well as an Armani Privé couture collection.
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner featured on Andrea Bocelli's new single
ROME: Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner is featured on Andrea Bocelli's new single, 'Dust and Glory' that was released Friday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
