The Girl in the Road: A Novel

An intriguing futuristic story, Byrn’s The Girl in the Road follows the stories of two women: Meena and Mariama. Meena is a young woman while Mariama is a young girl. It interweaves both of their inner thoughts along with the events that transpire, cleverly demonstrating that Meena may not be entirely consistent or ultimately sane, while Meena more readily reports on her experiences. These stream of consciousness passages remain buoyed by realistic depictions of a future that is both technological, and at times, void of a clear sense of morality.

Unlike other novels of its type, The Girl in the Road does not seem to shy away from taboo material, and instead chooses to brave the slippery slope of politically incorrect exploration. And although this may make some readers feel uneasy, it is hard to fault these subjects in and of themselves, as they seem to be realistic depictions of what we might expect.

Although littered with tremendously interesting psychology, as well as a believable future, the novel does lag in some places, both being unclear and poorly organized, or as if the author did not know how to fill the space with something interesting and compelling. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read if you weather the storm and stay till the end.