Stuff I Read: The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford

A young telekinetic woman is given a deal: work for a nameless government organization or spend the rest of her life as a lab rat and eventually get dissected to see what makes her tick. But when someone turns up dead in ways that only a telekinetic could kill, the girl in question ends up in a race against the clock to either find the killer and clear her name or become the government’s science experiment. It’s the next level of espionage in Jackson Ford’s 2019 novel, The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind.

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford

Teagan Frost is the titular girl who has been relocated to Los Angeles after years of the US government trying to figure out how she got her powers—and how to replicate them—proved fruitless. Assigned to work under the front company China Shop Movers, a motley crew of misfits who are in some way indebted to the government and their handler Moira Tanner, Teagan uses her titular powers for light breaking and entering on the government’s payroll. But after a mission goes a little sideways, a body turns up, penetrated by rebar in a way that doesn’t leave fingerprints, and Teagan is the prime suspect. The agency that employs the China Shop figures the girl in question has gone rogue and want Tanner to dismantle the shop and bring Teagan in. Tanner gives them 24 hours to either clear Teagan’s name or bring her in.

I’ll be honest; I picked this book up strictly because of the title. I never heard of Jackson Ford, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’m glad I did; the story plays like a mashup of Jason Bourne and the X-Men—totally grounded and fantastical at the same time. The characters are well-developed and distinct. They each carry their own weight, regardless of how frequently you see them, and the way the story starts—with the China Shop already an established group with their own history together and solid individual and team dynamics—gets us on the ground running, and the story doesn’t let up. One of my favorite parts was the description of how telekinesis might feel, like an invisible appendage with a tactile sensation. That description has reframed how I look at other telekinetics in fiction, from Carrie, to Jean Grey, to the guys in the movie Chronicle. Good movie, by the way, see it if you haven’t already.

My gripe, minor as it may be, is that a lot of the story is told from the perspective of a 25-year-old. Teagan is impulsive, emotional, and petulant at times. And while it’s easy to understand why (but impossible to explain without spoiling), half the story being told from her first-person viewpoint means spending a lot of time in that headspace. It can be exhausting.

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind is a fun and irreverent summer popcorn novel; a solid spy thriller with crazy powers and a ton of random sh*t flying through the air. Although the protagonist comes off like an overgrown, angsty teen, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

Pros: Fun and fast-paced thriller, most of the characters are very likeable, cool description of what having telekinesis might feel like.

Cons: Main character is a bit childish. Understandable, but still

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.