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Orpheus Girl

Orpheus Girl

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  • Create Date：2021-08-02 09:51:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Brynne Rebele-Henry
  • ISBN：1641291737
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Summary

In her debut novel， award–winning poet Brynne Rebele-Henry re-imagines the epic of Orpheus as a love story between two teen girls in rural Texas。

Abandoned by a single mother she never knew， 16-year-old Raya—obsessed with ancient myths—lives with her grandmother in a small conservative Texas town。 For years Raya has hidden her feelings for her best friend and true love， Sarah。 When the two are caught in an intimate moment， they are sent to Friendly Saviors: a re-education camp meant to “fix” them and make them heterosexual。 Upon arrival， Raya vows to assume the role of Orpheus， to return to the world of the living with her love—and after she， Sarah， and the other teen residents are subjected to abusive and brutal “treatments” by the staff， Raya only becomes more determined to escape。

In a haunting voice reminiscent of Sylvia Plath， with the contemporary lyricism of David Levithan， Orpheus Girl is a mythic story of dysfunctional families， first love， heartbreak—and the fierce adolescent resilience that has the power to triumph over darkness and ignorance。

CW: There are scenes in this book that depict self-harm， homophobia， transphobia， and violence against LGBTQ characters。

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Reviews

Larissa Yeakel ，

I have no words， this book was amazing and emotional

Alex ，

This is probably aimed at a younger demographic， I think I would have liked this more 3-4 years ago

Bridget ，

yes this is a depressing conversion therapy book but it’s also a quick read and written so smoothly and descriptively

Madeline Uren ，

Not anything wrong with it necessarily， it just felt like an off brand Cameron Post （which is one of my favorite books）

sparrow ，

wow I cried a lot。

k。 ，

i wish this book had been longer and the characters more developed

Junie ，

oh my god this was so sad。。。so beautifully written。。。i wish it was longer。 admittedly i dont think it's objectively a 5 star book but it hit me in everything i like so。 5 stars oh my god this was so sad。。。so beautifully written。。。i wish it was longer。 admittedly i dont think it's objectively a 5 star book but it hit me in everything i like so。 5 stars 。。。more

✧ Tina ✧ ，

*3。5 stars*

book marked by gigi ，

ok this book has left me feeling so empty？ like it was so sad but not in a crying way but in a empty feeling inside waylots of trigger warnings to look up before reading this book， my copy has them in the book but still check out reviews just to make sure there’s nothing triggering for you， if there isn’t definitely recommend reading

Jamie Zaccaria ，

This was a good （but not great） book。 I was very disappointed in the mythology metaphors and felt they could have been better。 I also can't help but compare this to The Miseducation of Cameron Post which I think had better character development tbh。 This was a good （but not great） book。 I was very disappointed in the mythology metaphors and felt they could have been better。 I also can't help but compare this to The Miseducation of Cameron Post which I think had better character development tbh。 。。。more

Hpnyknits ，

Heartbreaking and inspiring！！！

intergalactic introvert ，

There aren't many books that can make me cry， but this sure is oneSome content warnings: conversion therapy， aversion therapy， electrocution， violence， self-harm， suicide attempt， homophobia， transphobia， misgendering， deadnaming， blood"It’s then I decide that I’m going to descend into the depths of the underworld just like Orpheus， and I’m going to save the girl I love。 Because Orpheus？ She’s a girl， who likes girls。" There aren't many books that can make me cry， but this sure is oneSome content warnings: conversion therapy， aversion therapy， electrocution， violence， self-harm， suicide attempt， homophobia， transphobia， misgendering， deadnaming， blood"It’s then I decide that I’m going to descend into the depths of the underworld just like Orpheus， and I’m going to save the girl I love。 Because Orpheus？ She’s a girl， who likes girls。" 。。。more

Izzy Muñoz ，

Es una de esas novelas que， a pesar de ser dolorosas de leer， son súper importantes。 Aunque sí debes tener una edad en la que seas consciente de que los sucesos en la historia son fuertes y que no cualquiera puede soportar leerlos。Desde la primer parte sabes que algo malo va a pasar， pero siempre mantienes la esperanza de que las cosas van a salir bien。 Y creo que eso resalta mucho en esta historia: la esperanza。 En un punto perdí la esperanza， justo como la protagonista。 Pensaba "¿cómo va a ter Es una de esas novelas que， a pesar de ser dolorosas de leer， son súper importantes。 Aunque sí debes tener una edad en la que seas consciente de que los sucesos en la historia son fuertes y que no cualquiera puede soportar leerlos。Desde la primer parte sabes que algo malo va a pasar， pero siempre mantienes la esperanza de que las cosas van a salir bien。 Y creo que eso resalta mucho en esta historia: la esperanza。 En un punto perdí la esperanza， justo como la protagonista。 Pensaba "¿cómo va a terminar esto？ No hay manera de que las cosas se arreglen" y me dio tristeza pensar en el futuro triste que les esperaba a las protagonistas。Me pareció muy buena la idea de comparar la historia de Orpheus con la de estas chicas， aunque eso me resultó difícil de entender en varias ocasiones。 Definitivamente se merece las 5 estrellas， pues te transmite muy bien los sentimientos， describe bien cada escenario y acción sin hacerlo tedioso。 。。。more

Lacy ，

After all this time， I never got to become anyone other than a girl trying to survive。 A girl in love with another girl。 And now I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep even that。 Orpheus Girl was everything I wanted from The Miseducation of Cameron Post。 I rarely enjoy first person pov and books without chapters but here it kind of sort of worked。 It actually kept me drawn in and turning pages。 And only having a little over a hundred pages， it was a super quick read。 Raya is coming After all this time， I never got to become anyone other than a girl trying to survive。 A girl in love with another girl。 And now I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep even that。 Orpheus Girl was everything I wanted from The Miseducation of Cameron Post。 I rarely enjoy first person pov and books without chapters but here it kind of sort of worked。 It actually kept me drawn in and turning pages。 And only having a little over a hundred pages， it was a super quick read。 Raya is coming to terms with being in love with her best friend while dealing with the grief of being the daughter left behind in a heavily christian conservative small town living with her grandmother looking for a second chance at having the perfect All-American daughter。 Raya and Sarah are caught by Sarah's brother's friend and then sent to a pray-the-gay away camp。 What I liked about this book is that it wasn't vague about the physical and psychological torture these children go through。 That it's something that will stick with you and affect you forever。 It's tragic and heartbreaking。 But， Orpheus also shows how love and chosen family can become our strengths and what makes you a survivor instead of tragedy。 I went into this book fully prepared not to enjoy it。 Especially after reading so many tough reviews。 But I did enjoy it and found it captivating and powerful。 I'm not sure when this story is supposed to be set but if felt very ninetiesish。 We’re just gay girls whose bodies became thin air—like all the other gay kids we grew up with。 We have vanished。 Yet for the first time in both of our lives， we’re visible by choice。 And we’re completely free。 。。。more

Minah ，

umm it HURTS

Majo Vaugier ，

español/ englishDespues de ver reseñas acerca del libro， decidí leerlo aprovechando que es bastante corto y que tenía representación LGBT+No sé describir bien el sentimiento al terminarlo。 Es una historia que bien pudo haber sido más desarrollada， pero no deja de ser perfecta así como está。 El tema de la terapia de conversión me parece algo demasiado fuerte e importante de hablar。 No creo que las personas estén conscientes de todo lo que se ha hecho （ y se sigue haciendo） para cambiar o citando español/ englishDespues de ver reseñas acerca del libro， decidí leerlo aprovechando que es bastante corto y que tenía representación LGBT+No sé describir bien el sentimiento al terminarlo。 Es una historia que bien pudo haber sido más desarrollada， pero no deja de ser perfecta así como está。 El tema de la terapia de conversión me parece algo demasiado fuerte e importante de hablar。 No creo que las personas estén conscientes de todo lo que se ha hecho （ y se sigue haciendo） para cambiar o citando algo que fue repetitivo en el libro， para “salvar” a quienes tienen preferencias e ideologías diferentes。 Creo que este libro serviría perfectamente para que las personas empaticen con los demás y se den cuenta que no hay algo anormal en ellos y que no es ninguna abominación el amar a alguien o querer cambiar fuera de lo que se ve “correcto” en la sociedad （en el caso del libro， una chica amando a una chica， personas trans， etc）Amaría que más personas le dieran la oportunidad al libro。•After seeing reviews about the book， I decided to read it， and like it is really short it wasn’t difficult。 Also I wanted to give it a try because of the LGBT+ representation in it。I do not know well how to describe the feeling when I finished it。 It is a story that could have been more developed， but it is still perfect as it is。 The topic of conversion therapy is shocking and important to me to talk about。 I don't think people are aware of everything that has been done （and continues to be done） to change or like it said repetitively in the book， to "save" people who have different preferences and ideologies。 I believe that this book would serve perfectly for people to empathize with others and realize that there is nothing abnormal in them and that it is not an abomination to love someone or want to change outside of what is seen as correct in society （in the case of the book， a girl loving a girl， trans people， etc）I would love seeing everyone reading this book。 。。。more

jordyn ，

while this book was a quick read， it definitely wasn't g r e a t。 i loved the inclusion of a content warning as a foreword to the book and definitely think this should be more widely used。 this book does not shy away from the horrible topics of homophobia and conversion camps， however， i do think the book was far too fast paced to deal with it in the way it needs to be。 for the actual story itself， i enjoyed how the book was structured and the hope that love gives even in the face of despair， an while this book was a quick read， it definitely wasn't g r e a t。 i loved the inclusion of a content warning as a foreword to the book and definitely think this should be more widely used。 this book does not shy away from the horrible topics of homophobia and conversion camps， however， i do think the book was far too fast paced to deal with it in the way it needs to be。 for the actual story itself， i enjoyed how the book was structured and the hope that love gives even in the face of despair， and im a sucker for a mythology retelling and for those versed in greek myth and those who aren't， the tale of orpheus is clearly laid out。overall， it was a good read， but i think it should have been longer and more detailed。 。。。more

Lectora。sintemor ，

3。5Me gustó mucho la forma de narración en la historia， jamás había leído algo así， para mí que tengo 14 años me abrió los ojos totalmente。Raya y Sarah son de las parejas más lindas que he visto。 Le pongo está calificación porque aunque al final me gustó la narración si me tarde en encontrarle un poquito de sentido y me abría gustado leer más de estas chicas。

Michael Wells ，

This is a book based on the Greek myth of Orpheus as he tries to rescue his wife。 This time the characters are two girls Ryna and Sarah。 They live in Texas and when they are found out that they are in love with each other their families send them to a conversion camp。 It characters in the camp or similar to the one in the myth of Orpheus。 I found the book very disturbing and grim。 I do not recommend this book for those wanting to know more about the gay ex[eroence

Erica Porter Mendoza ，

One of the most heartbreaking books I've read in a while。 One of the most heartbreaking books I've read in a while。 。。。more

Priscilla Perez ，

First off， this writing style is definitely unique。 I like that because she is typically a poet， she decided to bring this style of writing to her first novel。 The way the author describes certain things even feel very poetic and beautiful。 The story is about Raya， a girl， falling in love with her best friend， while living in a small homophobic town in Texas。 She lives with her grandmother， after her mother abandoned her at the age of 2。 Her and her best friend are caught hooking up and both are First off， this writing style is definitely unique。 I like that because she is typically a poet， she decided to bring this style of writing to her first novel。 The way the author describes certain things even feel very poetic and beautiful。 The story is about Raya， a girl， falling in love with her best friend， while living in a small homophobic town in Texas。 She lives with her grandmother， after her mother abandoned her at the age of 2。 Her and her best friend are caught hooking up and both are sent to conversion therapy。 This boom is very short， reaching in at 162 pages。 I was excited to see how an author could tell a whole story on such a short amount of pages。 And while reading it， I realized that this book was less a book and more of a short story。 There were times I wanted more from the characters and the story。 Everything felt so fast。 And I was missing the little details that really develop those characters。 I felt like this story was very real。 Perhaps， there were points that weren’t super realistic， but the feelings and the actions at this conversion therapy were very real which made it painful to read。 One things that annoyed me about this story was the repetitive things that’s ere said such as Raya basically saying she held her Grammy back and she was never the girl that her Grammy wanted her to be。 She kept talking about how they both didn’t want this but were stuck since her mother just left them。 It was something that was repeated several times throughout the 162 pages。 If you’re looking for a short story/quick read， I do recommend it。 But if you’re interested in thorough story telling and character development， this story isn’t for you。 。。。more

Judy Tran ，

This book was beautiful。 The author was so good at creating Raya's voice， and depicting the isolation and sadness that she feels as a young， queer girl in an deeply hateful and unaccepting environment。 More than that， Raya was so brave and strong， and I found myself rooting for her the whole time。 I think it was a realistic depiction of what it is like to grow up wondering why you feel a little different， but not really being able to put a finger on it， and the self-exploration that comes along This book was beautiful。 The author was so good at creating Raya's voice， and depicting the isolation and sadness that she feels as a young， queer girl in an deeply hateful and unaccepting environment。 More than that， Raya was so brave and strong， and I found myself rooting for her the whole time。 I think it was a realistic depiction of what it is like to grow up wondering why you feel a little different， but not really being able to put a finger on it， and the self-exploration that comes along with that。 I also really love the found-family trope and the hope that Raya and Sarah do get their happy ending after the traumas that they experienced。 I will say that the parts depicting homophobia and the "treatments" in the conversion camps were really hard for me to read， so just a warning; it's not too graphic/explicit， but there are descriptions of electro-shock therapy in case you don't have the mental/emotional capacity to read about that。 。。。more

Reillin Wood ，

2。5 stars: Honestly this book is just so fucking depressing。 It really drained any hope I had for mankind。 Since it's so short there isn't any room for anything that is remotely not profoundly sad。 Also because it is so short， I didn't learn much about the characters。 I don't really know how to describe Raya。。。 the only characteristic that comes to mind is gay。 And depressed。 Raya is very gay and depressed。 One more thing: at the end， during the acknowledgements， it says '。。。all the young gay pe 2。5 stars: Honestly this book is just so fucking depressing。 It really drained any hope I had for mankind。 Since it's so short there isn't any room for anything that is remotely not profoundly sad。 Also because it is so short， I didn't learn much about the characters。 I don't really know how to describe Raya。。。 the only characteristic that comes to mind is gay。 And depressed。 Raya is very gay and depressed。 One more thing: at the end， during the acknowledgements， it says '。。。all the young gay people reading this。 I wrote this book for you。' Oh really， is it to tell them 'See how terrible these characters have it and how miserable they are？ That's what you could be going through。 People really hate you this much。' It doesn't make sense to me。 That said， if you are planning to read this， listen to the trigger warnings （which I didn't do and I regret it）。 I think it's like homophobia， transphobia， outing， torture， self-harm and suicide。 The book just didn't do much for me。I was going to read Razorblade Tears after this but I think need a break from the sad SGM-themed novels because of this flipping book。 。。。more

:） ，

please read the trigger warnings before starting this book，， it’s really heavy

nico🌱 ，

2。5 starsIn my writing class workshops， they always tell us to share the good things first， and then move on to the "negatives，" or critiques， after。 The only positive I had written down was that the trigger warning the author included at the beginning of the book was nice。 This makes it sound like I hated the book。 I didn't， but I think so many things could have been done better or expanded upon。For instance， in the synopsis， it is said that Raya is obsessed with ancient myths。 This definitely 2。5 starsIn my writing class workshops， they always tell us to share the good things first， and then move on to the "negatives，" or critiques， after。 The only positive I had written down was that the trigger warning the author included at the beginning of the book was nice。 This makes it sound like I hated the book。 I didn't， but I think so many things could have been done better or expanded upon。For instance， in the synopsis， it is said that Raya is obsessed with ancient myths。 This definitely needs expanded upon。 She mentions Orpheus， the books namesake， a lot， but only as a brief comparison to herself。 She namedrops a few others like Sisyphus and Atalanta， but other than that， there's no showing that she's super interested in mythology。 Shouldn't this be something mentioned more often， since this is an interest （I'm pretty sure） she's developed because of her estranged mother？ For all the heralding of herself as the modern day Orpheus， it wasn't explored nearly enough。 This could have made the book longer， as well。 Sometimes short books are good and don't need to be made longer for the sake of long-ness， but this book was too short， in my opinion。 Bouncing off of length， the pacing seemed way too fast。 （And the line breaks？？？ It was distracting having so many。） We spent some time in her town， which is fine， I don't think we needed to be there long。 But we spent barely more time than that in the "facility。" Writing more about Raya and Sarah's time in the facility could have given the reader more time with the other characters， and made us feel more for Raya and Sarah。 None of the characters seemed real to me; I only felt bad for them because what they were going through was awful， and that's not an author's goal。 An author wants you to care， but I just。。。 didn't。 Also does it not make sense to anyone else that they went to the same facility？ Like all the adults in this story are idiots。 Speaking of characters， Char's character was a fucking mess。 Her flip-flopping back and forth was just， what？ I'm not super educated on electric shock therapy and its after effects， but is it really going to make you pull 180s like that 24/7？ Like， girl was having whole personality changes every few hours。 It was disconcerting， but not in the way I think the author wanted her portrayed。 There's a character index in the back telling you which characters were named/modeled after those in the myth of Orpheus。 It seemed like 80% of the names were just thrown in there for aesthetic's sake。 And most of the character's namesake's didn't match up to the "personality。" Like， Sarah's brother's friend Aristo is named after Aristaeus， "a minor god often credited with the discovery of beekeeping。" What？？？ This isn't in line with anyone's character， much less Aristo's。 Overall， I feel like this book could have done with a lot more editing。 Again， I didn't hate it， but it definitely left a lot to be desired。 I think with more editing this could have been an amazing book， because the idea is amazing。 I had high hopes for this one， and was pretty disappointed。 。。。more

AJ ，

This book was truly haunting。 Viewing conversion therapy through the eyes of a young teen in the south was a horrifically emotional experience。 Watching the main character attempt to save herself and those around her and struggle between staying true to herself while not getting hurt was heartbreaking。 All of the characters were so complex and beautifully & tragically portrayed。 This book gave me insight into conversion therapy， and to know that conversion therapy still exists in our world today This book was truly haunting。 Viewing conversion therapy through the eyes of a young teen in the south was a horrifically emotional experience。 Watching the main character attempt to save herself and those around her and struggle between staying true to herself while not getting hurt was heartbreaking。 All of the characters were so complex and beautifully & tragically portrayed。 This book gave me insight into conversion therapy， and to know that conversion therapy still exists in our world today makes me sick。 。。。more

Rupkatha Bhattacharjee ，

You know， the thing about family is that you can choose it。 And I choose you。Ever read something that said 'Fuck you' to your heart before pulling it out and breaking it into a million pieces ？If not， then read Orpheus Girl。A story about 2 girls who've been sent to conversion therapy to become what they were always meant to be， straight girls preparing to marry into rich families， living out the American dream as good mothers and wives。An imagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice， the book d You know， the thing about family is that you can choose it。 And I choose you。Ever read something that said 'Fuck you' to your heart before pulling it out and breaking it into a million pieces ？If not， then read Orpheus Girl。A story about 2 girls who've been sent to conversion therapy to become what they were always meant to be， straight girls preparing to marry into rich families， living out the American dream as good mothers and wives。An imagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice， the book does an amazing job of retelling it。 The constant parallels between the myth and Raya， our protagonist's story and the myth were truly beautiful and the prose was the main thing that made me finish this book in 1 sitting。I was bawling by the end of this book and I am someone who doesn't cry while reading， trust me when I say this one is not for the faint hearted。 Moving on， our characters are so well written that I felt everything in this book was playing out in front of my eyes。 This one， if ever adapted to the screen， will be one piece of poetic cinema。 Heartbreakingly realistic and raw characters， although narrated from just 1 person's point of view， everyone else had a role， a clear storyline and a motive in the plot。5/5 stars， Raya and her journey will amaze you。 。。。more

Emelia ，

So this book is kind of a rough read。 Definitely check trigger warnings and know what's coming。 Anyway， as a book， it's fine。 The atmosphere and tone is great， but I wasn't really connected to any of the characters。 It definitely shows the horrors of conversion therapy， but I don't think it does much else than that。 So this book is kind of a rough read。 Definitely check trigger warnings and know what's coming。 Anyway， as a book， it's fine。 The atmosphere and tone is great， but I wasn't really connected to any of the characters。 It definitely shows the horrors of conversion therapy， but I don't think it does much else than that。 。。。more

JM White ，

So， SO painful。

Syd Kleinholz ，

short and my god so good。ive got some quotes that i want to record here， but this whole book was written so？？？ immaculately。 obviously it’s about a conversion therapy camp so full of triggering awful content。“i’ve forced myself to go to that strange， calm place that girls can access only when they’re in trouble。 the kind where you leave your body like you’re already dead， ball your fists until your fingers turn white， and pretend to be anywhere else but where you are now。 you take a deep breath short and my god so good。ive got some quotes that i want to record here， but this whole book was written so？？？ immaculately。 obviously it’s about a conversion therapy camp so full of triggering awful content。“i’ve forced myself to go to that strange， calm place that girls can access only when they’re in trouble。 the kind where you leave your body like you’re already dead， ball your fists until your fingers turn white， and pretend to be anywhere else but where you are now。 you take a deep breath but don’t exhale， just wait for the violence you know is coming for you。”“as the electricity courses through my body， i try to remember snapshots of my life before: the wild roses that grow on the sides of the roads in our town。 how sarah crinkles her nose before speaking。 how she forgets everything， how once she turned to me， breathless， after she’d left the stove on and had to run back to her house and said， “i’d forget how to breathe if it was possible”。 though we were only thirteen， i knew right then that i wanted to spend my life remembering things for her。” 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Orpheus Girl

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Orpheus Girl&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Orpheus Girl&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0