The Girl Before

A harrowing (if atypical) tale of human trafficking.

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for violence, including rape.)

"If what I’ve been told is true, if I was taken from a loving family, what does that mean for the girls I raised? Were these girls all taken as well? Glen had to know. There’s no way that I’ve been able to work it out in my mind that he didn’t. I want to talk to him, to ask him why, but part of me is terrified of the answer. Terrified to know the truth, because if he knew, if he orchestrated all of it, then what does that make me? What did he make me?"

Alt title: "The Deprogramming of Diana McKinley."

The Girl Before begins with a bang and a whimper as show more federal agents raid the headquarters of a human trafficking ring in the Rocky Mountains. Among the girls and women rescued is Clara Lawson (real name Diana McKinley), who was abducted from a park near her home when she was just six years old.

Like all of the other children kidnapped by Papa G and Mama Mae, Clara was told that her parents no longer wanted her; had given or sold her to the Lawsons to raise; and would eventually be placed with a family who loved and needed her more than hers. The brainwashing begins immediately, and is reinforced with strict discipline, an emphasis on total obedience, and copious physical abuse. Strict gender segregation is maintained at all ages (after all, can't have the boys "sullying" the merchandise), with boys trained to be bodyguards, manual laborers, or Papa G's own personal militia, and girls groomed as "companions." A high-end brothel, Mama teaches her girls etiquette, reading, writing, proper speech, and foreign languages in order to appeal to wealthy buyers. Some clients even choose "their" girl in advance, with special instructions as to their education.

Clara is one such girl, having been promised to Mr. Q - a man easily thirty years her senior - at the age of twelve. The only thing standing between her and a life as a sex slave is Glen Lawson, Jr. - Papa G and Mama Mae's only son and the heir to their operation. He and Clara fall in love and, with a little perseverance, a whole lot of nerve, and a bit of Machiavellian maneuvering, manage to stay together, despite the odds. But theirs is a bargain with the devil: Papa G agrees to let Glen buy Clara, but only if they stay and take over the business when he retires. And so Clara becomes both victim and victimizer, as she trains girls the way Mama trained her (albeit with a much gentler, more compassionate hand).

Yet it's not as though she has any other options ("My life is not about choices."), nor does Clara know anything other than what Glen tells her. Having grown up in the brothel, raised on its lies, Clara knows no other way of existing. (That, and Glen actively discourages her curiosity in the form of escalating physical abuse.)

The story is told in alternating then/now passages, with Clara's rescuers - agents Connor and Jay; therapist Dr. Mulligan; and Heather and the members of a women's support group for victims of human trafficking - trying to undo years of brainwashing in mere weeks and months. More than the abuse, this proved the most interesting part of the narrative: just how do you convince a person that everything she knows of the world is incorrect? That her husband is a monster; that she and her "daughters" are in fact victims; and that her real family never stopped looking for her? Especially when accepting the good goes hand in hand with confronting some rather unpleasant truths about your own complicity, however unintentional?

In many ways, this feels like what the women and children involved in the 2014 raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch might have went through. (Minus the lengthy deprogramming, unfortunately.) Just add a whopping dose of Mormon fundamentalism and polygamy, and Clara's experience doesn't feel all that different.

Equally repulsive and fascinating, The Girl Before is a harrowing - if atypical - look inside a human trafficking ring. While I'm hardly an expert on the topic, I don't think it's common for rings to spend years grooming girls for specific clients; that represents a huge investment of time, effort, specialized skills, patience - not to mention risk. In fact, Olsen seems to acknowledge this through the words of the judge assigned to Clara's case ("'In fact,' Judge Riebe says, 'there is nothing typical about your case.'").

Yet there are clear benefits to structuring the story this way: by following Clara's journey through the organization, Olsen is able to give us a clearer picture of the many facets of human trafficking, as well as the long-term effects on those ensnared in its web. The battle raging in Clara's psyche - or should I say Diana's? - is both compelling and heartbreaking, as she learns to forgive herself for the atrocities she was powerless to prevent.

The ending is perhaps a little too positive to be believable (still rather gloomy though); yet, after 300+ pages of reading about sexual slavery, child rape, brainwashing, Stockholm syndrome, and physical-punishment-as-love, maybe a little optimism is just what the psychiatrist ordered.

Trigger warnings like whoah. (Obviously.) This is a difficult book to read, even as Olsen exercises remarkable restraint (e.g., she never shows us what Glen does to Clara after he tells her to lock the door, and I for one am glad of it).

http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/08/08/the-girl-before-by-rena-olsen/ show less

When armed men invade Clara Lawson’s home, they separate her from her husband, Glen, and her daughters. As she led away, Glen cautions her to say nothing. Having learned to do exactly what her husband asks, Clara keeps silent when men and women come to interrogate her, but eventually she comes to question everything she thought she knew and finds herself forced to face the truth of her life.

Alternating between past and present, Clara’s story slowly unfolds as the narrative builds her backstory. Readers will easily intuit the truth; one wonders how Clara can be so unbelievably naïve for so long. Readers are likely to ask how anyone could truly be THAT clueless? Nevertheless, throughout most of the story, it is difficult not to feel show more some degree of sympathy for Clara and for the situation in which she finds herself.

The power of the narrative comes from its focus on the “training” of the stolen girls and the process by which these abducted victims are “prepared” for the traffickers who will ultimately purchase them. There are no surprises here, no mysteries to unravel; early on, readers will know [even if Clara doesn’t] exactly what is happening. Although it is often difficult to read, the straightforward narrative is at its best when it reveals the horror hiding in plain sight, showing readers the raw and gritty aspects of the harrowing tale. It may not always be easy reading, and Clara may be more than a little frustrating, but it’s an important look at an all-to-real, horrific practice.

Recommended. show less

Ugh, so disturbing! THE GIRL BEFORE is a great read though, hard to put down. It's not a typical suspense novel, as it's clear up front what's going on. However, the story flipping between "Now" and "Then" creates some amazing tension, fear almost, about what horror will be revealed next.

Clara is a frustratingly naive character, refusing to believe the obvious when it was right in front of her. As Clara tells her story, it's up to the reader to decide if she was a victim, perpetrator, or a bit of both. And, of course, Clara has to decide how she sees herself after all the evidence is presented.

I enjoyed how the story was constructed, alternating between the past and present, though you need to pay attention - the past is not told show more chronologically. This book was difficult to read with its dark subject matter, but at the same time I was glued to the pages. I'd definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy a different kind of suspense.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. show less

Coming from a strict religious background i can easily identify with how easy it is to be brainwashed and not realize what is going on around you. the struggles Diana faces are absolutely real and it is heartbreaking to read. The jumping Before and After brings that much more depth to the story and you get to see and for me, understand Diana's mental journey from innocent brainwashed girl to abused frighten wife and finally to a free woman. I teared up in the end because I was so proud of her.

This is a very interesting book regarding human trafficking. When authorities storm the home of Clara and her husband, they are separated. He is taken to jail; she is taken to a place of safety where she can be questioned.
The story goes back and forth between chapters titled Now, and Then.

Usually I don't like books that change direction with each chapter, but this one worked. Clara loves the son of Mama and Papa G. With her marriage to Glen comes additional responsibilities of the various buildings on the compound.

Slowly, she comes to realize that as the caretaker of children and young adults that they are sold to the highest bidder. The children are kept under close supervision. And, punishment is meted violently by Glen when he show more believes children do not obey. They dare not escape.

Whereas Clara, whose real name is Diana, reused to cooperate with the police and psychologist assigned to her, eventually, she realizes that she was brainwashed, and like all the little girls she oversaw, she too was abducted.

Dealing with this difficult subject, the writer does an excellent job of carefully uncovering the layers of brainwashing. show less

The Girl Before by Rena Olsen is a highly recommended novel that examines human trafficking and victims.

Clara Lawson's home has been raided by armed men. Now her husband, Glen, is in jail, she's in a psychiatric facility, and her daughters have been taken from them. Twenty-three year old Clara was raised by Glen's parents, Mama Mae and Papa G. She's loved Glen from the first time she saw him and they married when she was 16. Now he's gone, telling Clara as he was taken away to say nothing so Clara is not talking and not eating. The FBI agents are calling Clara "Diana" and trying to get more information from her. She isn't talking - but what has happened to her "daughters?"

The narrative is told in "Then" and "Now" chapters that alternate show more between the past and the present day Clara. Clearly Clara's current daughters aren't really her children and the girls she grew up with at Mama Mae's and Papa Glen's house weren't her sisters. The girls have all been told, past and present, that their parents didn't want them so they are now being cared for by the Lawsons. The girls are being trained for a future with wealthy "clients." As the story becomes clearer, we know that Glen and his parents are involved with various human trafficking ventures of young women and girls, as well as brothels. Clara's daughters are being raised/trained by her the same way Clara was trained, which makes Clara both a victim and a victimizer.

The tough part of this novel is Clara. I truly wondered how she could be so stupid and naive to not realize what was happening around her. This makes it extremely hard to relate to her or empathize with her situation because she could have chosen to admit the truth. Clara's pregnancy seems to be the impetus for her to face reality. This gives her character some redemption in the fact that she starts to realize what was really happening over the years, admits some brutal truths, and also addresses the abuse she received.

The Girl Before is addictively readable and kept my attention from beginning to end. I never fully reconciled my initial dislike for Clara, which is the one drawback of this novel for me. Human trafficking is such an insidious crime that it is hard to like anyone who has any part of it, even when they started out a victim themselves. The alternating chapters are very effective in creating a feeling of tension and apprehension. You know something is going to happen and that there is more to the story than Clara is admitting.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-girl-before.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1723653242 show less

The Girl Before is the debut novel of author Rena Olsen.

We've all seen them, heard of them or read them - stories of young girls kidnapped and never seen again. But....sometimes they are rescued or manage to escape. I can't bring myself to read the accounts or the books that are released afterwards.

But knowing Olsen's account was fictional I picked it up. The publisher's tagline was also intriguing. "In this powerful psychological suspense debut, when a woman’s life is shattered, she is faced with a devastating question: What if everything she thought was normal and good and true...wasn’t?"

Clara remembers nothing of her life 'before.' She only knows her husband Glen, his parents Papa G and Mama Mae - and their illegal family show more business. But Clara doesn't see it that way. Over the years she's been trained, conditioned and manipulated to believe something other than reality. "I only need to know what Glen tells me."

When an arrest occurs, Clara is forced to confront that reality. Olsen does this in a now and then narrative, allowing the reader to uncover and discover along with Clara. "What if how I lived my entire life was not how I was meant to live?"

And with each new revelation, it's hard to put it down. I wanted to know - who was Clara and would she remember the 'before'? My opinion of Clara changed throughout the book - is she a victim or a criminal? Clara faces the same questions herself. Olsen does an admirable job in depicting Clara's confusion. I imagine that Olsen's daytime job as a school therapist adds to the authenticity of Clara's emotions, feelings and journey to self realization. The other main characters however, are very easy to categorize as perpetrators.

I did find it somewhat difficult to remember that yes, although this was fiction - it's still someone's reality somewhere. But, it was hard to put the book down - kind of that 'accident on the road don't look but cover your eyes and peek as you drive by' feeling. While this is a disturbing premise, Olsen manages to avoid graphic detail while still transmitting the reality of Clara's - and other's - situations.

Some plot points were a bit of stretch for me - particularly the police procedural details. And the 'after' chapters got a bit repetitive in the final countdown. But all in all, an addictive read. show less