I read The Fever and was drawn in to the dark underworld of female adolescence. In this earlier novel, Megan Abbott deftly explores the sexual tensions, hierarchy, and desire for power that undergird female relationships in high school. This time, Dare Me is about cheer squads. It’s no sassy Bring It On pep rally, either. Rather, it focuses on Addy Hanlon, a second-in-command to cheer captain Beth Cassidy, whose reign of terror has brought her power and glory throughout grade school, JV, and now through […]
Mean Girls–Really Not So Funny
Back in July, ElCicco reviewed The Fever by Megan Abbott. I was intrigued. I got it from the library and devoured it on a rainy weekend afternoon. It’s a great and thrilling read, but it’s also a relevant and chilling one, too. The Nash family lives in Dryden, where they’ve always lived. Dad Tom is a high school science teacher, mom Georgia has left, son Eli is an attractive hockey star at the high school, and daughter Deenie is studious and friend-oriented. The novel opens […]
Ripped From Today’s Headlines!
If you’re looking for a great poolside or beach read for what’s left of summer, The Fever would be a very satisfying choice. It’s a mystery involving teenage lust, parental lust, environmental toxins, and anti-vaxxers. The action focuses on the Nash family. Dad is a high school chemistry teacher, Eli is a dreamy senior and hockey star, Deenie is 16 and dealing with the academic and social pressures that go along with that, and mom is gone, having cheated on dad and moved away years […]
Girl Power
The End of Everything tells the story of Lizzie, the disappearance of her best friend Evie, and the effect that disappearance has on the all the families involved. Megan Abbott writes thirteen year old Lizzie’s story in first person, rushing forward, all feeling, the emotional impact of the plot points more important than the how and why. “Where is Evie? Who took her?” take a back seat to how everyone feels, where those feelings come from and where they lead. Both The End of Everything […]
Dear Authors of the World: ‘Dangerous’ doesn’t have to mean ‘Femme Fatale Sex Stripper.’ There are other options.
This was pretty good for an anthology, but I really prefer longer stories, as it really takes a talented author to make me care for characters in such a short period of time, or to have a plot immediately interesting enough to trump my interest in the characters. Short stories also tend more towards the self-important and annoying. Anyway, this was worth it just for the Martin and Sanderson stories alone, and there were several others I really enjoyed as well including ones from Robin […]