Versions of a Girl

By: Catherine Gray

Narrated by: Maeve Smyth

Do we become who we are because of our parents, or in spite of them?

Fern's mother is a social climber and a former ballet dancer who lives a plush life in a London townhouse.

Fern's father only climbs if there's a bottle at the top, has an IQ of 133 and lives hand-to-mouth in Californian motels.

Aged 14, Fern has spent equal time with each of her parents. That is, until an unexpected visitor triggers a life-changing dilemma – whether she should get on a plane to London to be with her mother, or stay in California with her father. Here, Fern's narrative splices in two.

Two possible lives, one person. Each Fern will grow in wildly different, but eerily similar directions. Both must determine who they want to be – and how they deal with a thorny problem which threatens to undo them all: a murder.

©2024 Catherine Gray (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Tender, lush and electric, a wild, heartbreaking, exhilarating ride. I fell in love with Fern and think she belongs to the all-time character canon, like Dodie Smith's Cassandra or Jean Rhys's Anna. There's so much truth, vulnerability and joy in Catherine Gray's prose.' (Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable and Careering)

'Versions Of A Girl was that rare literary find. Catherine's writing is beautiful and I was captivated by Fern/ Flick's journeys. One of the best debuts ...' (Caroline Corcoran, bestselling author of Through the Wall)

'Fierce and unflinching about so many important themes – family and friendship, memory and art, addiction and recovery – Versions of a Girl is unputdownable.' (Kerri Maher, author of The Paris Bookseller)

'As always, Gray's writing is inspiring, fearless and viscerally entertaining.' (Laura Cathcart Robbins, bestselling author of Stash)