Erin Saldin

This book reminded me of The School For Dangerous Girls. The book begins with an epilogue, which creates the mystery that drives the story told in retrospect by 16 year old Lida. Lida is dropped off at the Alice School for Girls in Idaho by her father and stepmother and so begins her journey into the wild and not only the million acres of forest that surround the camp. Every girl at AMS has her “thing” but Lida is determined to keep hers a secret. Resident bad girl, Boone, cuts off Lida’s hair the first night which is her way of welcoming Lida. Eventually, Lida and Boone begin to trust one another but the arrival of exotic new girl, Gia, changes the dynamics because Boone hates her. Lida appears to fall in love with Gia but it’s unclear and readers may be confused on this point. She begins to trust Gia and shares her “thing” but Gia never returns the favor and later betrays her. Events very slowly build to the denouement which will make some readers impatient. The epilogues sprinkled throughout help build suspense to a shocking conclusion.… (mehr)

4.5 Wonderful writing, beautiful palpable setting, great character development, effective use of metaphors—there’s a lot to recommend this book. An engrossing, psychological read, Saldin explores interesting themes (including the healing power of nature, self-perception, and dealing with life and decisions when you can’t turn back time). Sometimes a book address big themes like the meaning of life, and in my eyes they fall a bit short—like the epiphanies themselves don’t match the tone and supposed profundity. I did not find that to be the case here—I thought the moments of realization were well done, appropriate, and meaningful.

Interspersed throughout the book are portions of the epilogue that refer to a need to tell “the truth,” and what happened to “us.” They’re a bit of a tease, but I think they do pique the reader’s interest and create a sense of impending doom. But this book may not be for everyone. It’s not a warm and fuzzy story. The ending might not sit well with some readers—it’s hard to take. But it would make for a good discussion.… (mehr)