This a White Pine Nominee for 2011.
Regina is a popular girl in a high school clique until one night at a party, her best friend's boyfriend tries to rape her. Stumbling from the party, she seeks the help of another of the girls in her clique, Kara, who instead of helping her, turns her own clique against her. Together with their leader, Anna, they make life at school hell. Incidents include: exclusion, ridicule, name-calling, painting the word "whore" on her locker, destruction of personal property, tripping her down stairs, locking her in storage closets, beating and abandoning her on the side of an isolated road. Pretty horrible stuff!
This is not the kind of book that I like to read. While suspenseful, I found that most of the characters were insufficiently developed, little more caricatures of the some of the worst teenagers in our society. Further, although it is true that adults in are busy, their absence, their ignorance and their apathy are greatly exaggerated in this novel, I suppose necessary characteristics for the plot to function. The events of the plot, while plausible are not realistic. The energy required to effectuate the perpetual hateful acts of the girls described in this novel is beyond that of any teenagers I know.
As a woman, it bugs me when authors use the old myth that women can't get along.
As a long-time high school teacher, it bugs me when authors vilify teenagers, who in my experience, are actually not the scary psychopaths written about in fear mongering newspapers.
Would I recommend this book? Nope!
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