Hello Girls tells the story of Winona and Lucille who are seventeen and eighteen respectively. Winona’s father is abusive – emotionally and in one extreme instance, physically, while Lucille is trapped in a life of poverty in a house with an indolent brother who has no regard for anybody else, to the point that he steals every cent she saves.
When they both reach a breaking point and feel unable to trust the (male dominated) authorities to redress the injustices which trap them in their lives, they steal Winona’s grandfather’s car, and head out across the country.
The book is ostensibly a tribute to Thelma and Louisa. Having not seen the film, I felt as though I was missing out on a few things. I did look up the synopsis, and I was able to catch a couple of references, but I felt that my ability to appreciate what the book was paying homage to was somewhat diminished.
That being said, I know enough about Thelma and Louise to know that this was a good update to the film. Thelma and Louise was a groundbreaking film for its portrayal of the eponymous characters’ cathartic defiance of where society had placed them as women. Perhaps as a reflection of its time (or to really ram the point home), the two women are chased by male-dominated law enforcement to the point that they die rather than allow themselves to be captured. One could interpret it as the fact that the women ultimately would never have been allowed to escape without serious punishment for their refusal to meekly play by the rules set by men.
Hello Girls gives us more of a happy ending, perhaps in deference to the fact that its protagonists are teenagers, but I like to believe more optimistically that it’s because the place of bold women in society who refuse to do what the largely male figures tell them is far more accepted and indeed, even encouraged. Indeed, there are several passages throughout the book which explicitly explore this, often in a very poetic way. That’s reflected also in the way the two characters who we are definitely told are attractive, subvert their aesthetic appearance – cutting their hair, overapplying makeup to the point of the garish – in order to claim their bodies as their own rather than for anybody else’s enjoyment.
The story is compelling and easy to fall into. I was easily absorbed and curious to know what was about to unfold. With several twists and turns, there were various points where I couldn’t accurately guess what was about to happen. For this reason, the book is a (relatively) light read, and one that I would say is perfect to take away on holiday.
There is a very passing reference to a (unrequited) romantic interest from one of the characters towards the others. It’s never revisited, nor is it tied off, and I must confess, that left me a bit frustrated as a romantic dimension to their relationship would have changed the dynamic entirely.
Probably the biggest critique I had was that the ending felt a bit abrupt. It’s a pretty intense reveal, so to go from that to the ending without any significant discussion or reflection. The manner in which Cavallaro and Henry opt to end the book does make sense in that their emancipation has been a running theme through the entirety of the book, but that doesn’t mean that time to consider how the events of the novel – which will doubtless remain with the character for years to come in the form of new psychological scars – should not be at least acknowledged, however briefly.
The writing itself is reasonably strong, although there were times when I was thrown from the story because I was uncertain whose perspective was narrating the story. We are told that the girls often feel as though they are within one another’s heads (although there are large parts of the story in which they look at each other and specifically realise that they don’t know certain parts of each other), and this could be a manifestation of that. However, I did not feel that it quite worked out to the intended effect, given that it had me confused to the point that I had to stop reading and re-orient myself.
Hello Girls is an enjoyable read that is in parts really quite gripping. If you like stories about girls rebelling, the American roadtrip, and just general adventure, then this is the book for you!
Hello Girls is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Have you read Hello Girls? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.
Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.
Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.
One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.
