From Amazon.com
Sophisticated teens will savor this psychological thriller by the author of
Calling Home and
In a Dark Wood. Set in the wealthy, self-indulgent Northern California culture that teens may interpret as the dark side of
Clueless, Michael Cadnum skewers with deadly accuracy obsessions with body image, exquisite food, and the right clothes--and reveals the unspoken rage of kids who are given everything but attention. Cadnum's oblique but concrete style works to great advantage in this enigmatic story as he uses vivid images to convey experience--sights, sounds, smells, and tastes--but leaves the motivations of characters blank for the reader to fill in.
We witness Jennifer jogging at dusk, coolly flinging herself into the thorny blackberry brambles, tumbling down a slope, pausing to slam her hand against a pole, and then continuing up the road to find a police car and report that she has been the victim of an attempted rape. But why has she so carefully constructed this lie? Is it aimed at her beautiful and preoccupied parents, her domineering older sister, the boyfriend who has moved away, or her own emptiness? The deception soon takes over her life, and as a police detective backs her into a corner, Jennifer realizes there is only one way out. (Ages 14 and older) --Patty Campbell
From Publishers Weekly
Readers will likely be both fascinated and repelled by the intricate web of deception woven by the 16-year-old narrator of this sometimes confusing psychological drama. Cadnum (Heat) shows rather than tells Jennifer's desperate need for affection and attention when she meticulously fakes an attack by a serial rapist, then reports it to the police. Her story about fending off the man gains her publicity and sympathy, but instead of feeling gratified, she suffers pangs of guilt and moments of panic. Her twisted relationships with her highly successful parents, her self-centered older sister and her ex-boyfriend are slowly revealed, providing insight into her personality. During the investigation of the case, Jennifer is terrified of being found out. At the same time, she longs to be freed from her lies. The author uses bold, dramatic strokes to paint a haunting portrait of his protagonist and, in his characteristically elliptical style, leaves plenty of blank space for readers to fill in. But while the pacing is as taut as ever, the narrative lacks the cohesion of Cadnum's best worksAreaders may wish that the author had shaded in some of the gaps. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
