The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's

“Alkaf uses Malaysian supernatural elements to good atmospheric effect; even better is the sensitive, riveting portrayal of the girls’ inner lives. United, their voices become a blunt instrument…but one wielded with great skill and efficacy.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)Praise for The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s * “Alkaf successfully uses the oppressive mood and ominous hauntings to convey real-life terrors, from sexual violence to societal expectations, that keep young women from being heard. A gripping, perceptive read.”—Booklist (starred review)* “Piercing observations into the teens’ struggles gaining autonomy are explored alongside sensitively wrought instances of trauma and sexual violence via immersive prose.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A perceptive examination of trauma and its manifestation on women’s bodies, minds, and voices.”—Kirkus Reviews

Hanna Alkaf is the author of The Weight of Our Sky, Queen of the Tiles, The Girl and the Ghost, Hamra and the Jungle of Memories, and The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s, as well as coeditor of the young adult anthology The Grimoire of Grave Fates. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and has spent most of her life working with words, both in fiction and nonfiction. She lives in Kuala Lumpur with her family.