BOOK REVIEW:
A couple of weeks ago I attended a book party at a local Barnes and Noble. It was for the release of Megan Abbott's latest tale of teenage girls gone bad. THE FEVER is based on real life events from a small community in upstate New York. In January of 2012, twelve girls started exhibiting mysterious symptoms of tics and outbursts. Abbott uses this as a back drop for a noirish tale of revenge and battered ego in a small knit group of high school friends. She explained at the reading/talk back that she'd always been fascinated by the Salem witch trials and was trying to find a new way of telling a familiar and similar story. She succeeds. I found the dialogue incredibly real and compelling. Abbott's characters have always popped off the page to the point I feel like someone in the room listening in. The scene of panicked parents and school officials with a hidden agenda is so real it reminded me of similar meetings I've experienced in my twenty-five years as an educator and a parent. I wanted to run but was compelled to stay. Five out of five.
BLATANT SELF PROMOTION CORNER: Drag Noir has hit a bit of a snag. Still hoping for a late summer release of the anthology.
DRABBLES:
Some quick reads are up over a t Flash Jab. Click here to read: FLASH JAB