Good Girl,” by the German-born writer Aria Aber, asks what it means to want to belong to a society that wishes you harm.

What the novel ultimately becomes is a sort of bildungsroman-by-way-of-thriller-mystery. There’s tons of struggle here but also tons of sweetness and inspirational resolve. Aleman’s first ...

The book engages with familiar narrative forms such as the bildungsroman as well as feature and documentary films, short stories and graphic fiction. I have a longstanding interest in global ...