The power of a rumor…

This forthcoming contemporary YA book, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, by Jennifer Mathieu, should be on every teen library’s shelves. I recently reviewed UNDONE, which centered on the gossip mill of a small Florida town, but this teen version is far more malevolent.

Alice Franklin has not had an easy life. Abandoned by her father and neglected by her mother, she’s had to fight her way forward in the her small Texas town of Healy.

The story is told from several character’s point-of-view as a series of frank discussions with the reader–in some way they are confessions, and highly personal.

Alice is accused by the school’s football star, Brandon, of having sex with himself and another boy, Tommy, at a summer party. In the same night, at the same time. Now, Alice wasn’t super squeaky-clean, and everyone knows this. But his rumor lands her squarely in Slut Status. Alice is a beautiful girl, and many other girls are jealous of her–including her best friend Kelsie–so, it’s particularly easy to tear Alice down socially.

Elaine is the most popular girl in high school, and she has been on/off with Brandon for years. She helps spread the rumor, and it’s perpetuated by Kelsie–whose one ambition is to stay popular, even if it costs her Alice’s friendship. Now, this vile rumor may have faded and Alice’s life returned to normal, but Brandon dies in a car wreck a few weeks later.

Josh, Brandon’s best friend, survived the crash and tells people that, while he and Brandon had been drunk at the time, it was distracting texts from Alice that may have contributed to the accident.

So, Alice isn’t just a slut. She’s a killer. And the newest pariah of Healy.

Completely shunned, Alice seems to fade into herself. People notice, of course, but only the town genius/misfit Kurt seems to care. He offers his help to keep Alice from failing Algebra II, mostly because he’s lovesick over her, but also because he knows the rumors aren’t true.

The unique story-telling eventually reveals the full truth of Brandon’s tragic death and Alice’s role in it. What is particularly poignant is the complete believability of the story. No matter what outrageous tale is told about Alice, it is fully acceptable, unquestioned, gossip fodder.

Growing up in the technological age, rumors spread instantly via text and Facebook. Surely, this book captures the significance of a person’s lack of privacy, and also the futility of rising against such an information stream. The language is clear and appropriate to the genre. The easy style of the book is sure to captivate youth readers, and the subject matter has resonance that teens will appreciate. I really hope this book becomes required reading for classrooms everywhere. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Interested? You can pre-order THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE via Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It comes out this summer and it is a can’t miss for teen readers.

Thanks for stopping in and keep reading my friends!