Book Review: "The Girl She Used to Be" by David Cristofano

Title: “The Girl She Used to Be”
Author: David Cristofano
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, The Hachette Book Group
ISBN, Pub. Date: 978-0-446-58221-6, March 2010
Reviewer: Lee Libro

Author Exposure provided me with a complimentary copy of The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano after I chose it from a selection of available titles for review. The short synopsis sounded appealing enough and the title struck a chord with my own morphing sense of female identity. However, the real grabber for me was that the author is male. Written in first person, from the viewpoint of the female main character, the story presented an intrinsic challenge and I was curious to see how well the author could rise to it.

A twenty-six-year-old woman has lived a series of identities after having been witness to a murder at the age of six. At that time she was Melody Grace McCartney, but through the Witness Protection Program she has lived her life revolving in and out of eight other identities, complete with new names, social security numbers, geographical locations, and occupations. Along the way, she has lost her family, her childhood, and the roots that nurture a human being. Now as an adult, it would appear that she will have to forgo the joys of human bonds, relationships, motherhood, and all the simple pleasures of everyday life with family and love—she is alone in the deepest sense of the word.

Her true, original sense of identity lies buried beneath the impossibility of living a normal life while constantly on the run. And yet, she is pleasantly surprised to find it alive and kicking when she comes up against Jonathan Bovaro, the son of the Mafioso responsible for the murder she and her family witnessed. He knows who she is and even calls her by her real name. He represents the ultimate danger to her, but he also presents to her an interesting proposition—the opportunity to clear the way for a chance to live her own life. His intentions toward her are slightly askew from the job he has been appointed to do—to kill her—and in this, the reader is privy to the morality and inner psychology that can temper writing. This type of crafting shifts the reader’s attention into the higher gears of excellent literary entertainment.

But, what makes the story so incredibly compelling is the true chords the author achieves with the female character’s inner conflicts. The fact that he is a male writer immediately evaporates from page one with the opening:

"Name me. Gaze into my eyes, study my smile and my dimples and tell me who you see. I look like an Emma. I look like an Amy. I look like a Katherine. I look like a Kathryn. I look like your best friend’s sister, your sister’s best friend.”

From then on it is Melody’s story, told so tightly and compactly that one cannot help but turn page after page. The author masterfully crafts a twisting, turning tale of romance, intrigue, and human drama without falling into any trite stereotypical or tired themes.

The nuances Cristofano provides to the reader in both the narrative female main character and Jonathan Bovaro are refreshing. Picture a youthful mafia man wearing glasses, or one who corrects himself when he’s about to swear in front of the woman he loves, and you begin to get the picture. The characters are so viable you can almost touch them. Indeed, the author has developed an extremely palpable love scenario.

Anyone who enjoys the combination of romance and mystery, intrigue and thriller, or even chick lit with a deeper literary bent will love The Girl She Used to Be. I give it five out of a possible five stars!