Publishers Weekly
★ 04/01/2024
Dean (Girl A) depicts the fallout from a school shooting in this extraordinary literary thriller. During a primary school play in the coastal English enclave of Stonesmere, a gunman opens fire, killing more than a dozen people, many of them children. The resulting media storm opens up the door for Sandy Hook–style conspiracy theories to take root. Examining the aftereffects of the tragedy on Stonesmere’s tight-knit community, Dean zeroes in on two characters: Marty Ward and Trent Casey. Marty is the town’s star soccer player and the daughter of Ava Ward, a teacher who was killed in the massacre; Trent is a lonely young man who briefly lived in Stonesmere before leaving to move in with his mother’s new husband, and who now falls under the sway of a right-wing media charlatan peddling theories that the tragedy was a politically motivated hoax. What emerges is a complex, gutting portrait of communal grief and crushing isolation, which builds to a moving and unexpected climax. Though Dean’s stark prose steers clear of sensationalism, some readers may find the unflinching subject matter hard to stomach. Those willing to take the plunge, however, will be rewarded with an unforgettable triumph. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
From the author of Girl A comes a new and prescient thriller about a school shooting in an idyllic English town and the conspiracy theories that soon proliferate. Dean has picked a tough topic, but one I predict she’ll explore with sensitivity and grace.” —CrimeReads, “Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2024”
“A gripping examination of a community devastated by a school shooting and the ‘truthers’ who deny it ever happened. Within that story is a girl who’s hiding what she knows about what happened that day. A chilling, thought-provoking read. Brilliant.” —Shari Lapena, New York Times–bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying and The Couple Next Door
“Superb! Day One is what brilliant thriller writing is all about: living, breathing characters, a nonstop plot, and—as we’ve come to love about Dean—a voice that is rich, evocative, and, dare I say it, literary. And given that the novel wrestles with a subject that has been wrenchingly close to many of us, the tale will stay with you long after you read the final page.” —Jeffery Deaver, New York Times–bestselling author of The Bone Collector and The Watchmaker’s Hand
“Gripping and beautifully written Day One confronts the darkest parts of human nature with guts and grace. I loved it.” —Emilia Hart, New York Times–bestselling author of Weyward
“A stunning and masterful mystery. A beautifully observed portrait of unthinkable tragedy and the remnants of love, hope, and despair that remain. Abigail Dean is a rare and very special storyteller.” —Chris Whitaker, New York Times–bestselling author of We Begin at the End
“Day One is a phenomenal, stunningly intelligent thriller, delving sharply into the destructive power of misinformation and conspiracy theories. It is at once empathic and uncompromising. No one writes darkness like Abigail Dean.” —Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant
“What a shining talent Abigail Dean is! Day One is riveting, original, and sensitively spun—and if possible, even better than Girl A!” —Victoria Selman, author of Truly Darkly Deeply
“Day One is a devastating, beautiful novel written with such skill, grace, and compassion that I couldn’t stop reading through the tears. Abigail Dean writes about the survivors of a terrible tragedy with sensitivity and care along with superb storytelling, and the result is a novel you will read in one sitting but that will linger in your mind for much longer.” —Jennifer Saint, author of Elektra and Ariadne
“Harrowing, heartbreaking, and utterly immersive. In detailing the aftermath of a small-town school shooting, Dean eloquently explores the unreliability of memory, the long tail of trauma, and the harm that ignorant outsiders can do.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of New York Times bestseller The Club
“Clear-eyed and powerful, this beautifully written novel explores what happens after a small town is torn apart by senseless violence. Dean is a writer of great sensitivity and skill, and she has produced another thought-provoking, compelling page-turner with Day One.” —Louise O’Neill, author of Idol and After the Silence
