Epilogue

I love an epilogue in a novel. It’s always nice to have a last bit of closure…or in some cases a final reveal that leaves you gasping. Those are the best epilogues!

I’ve reviewed all of the books I have enjoyed in the sub-genre I have dubbed the “Secret Society Mystery.” It’s really the “Elite School (often) Secret Society/Elite Clique Murder (usually) Mystery Coming of Age (usually) Story” but that’s just ridiculous. But what about the books I have read in the sub-genre that I didn’t happen to like as much? These are worth a mention:

Black Chalk by Christopher Yates

This is a first novel, and as I often seem to say – you can tell. It’s clearly influenced by The Secret History. A group of 6 friends at Oxford U begin playing a game of dares that gets more and more dangerous and eventually has tragic results. I enjoyed the first half or so of this one, despite some missing pieces of the plot. I liked the pacing, a few surprises that were thrown in, and the back and forth POV. But too much is ultimately left unexplained, the situation is too improbable, and the ending is pretty anticlimactic.

The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller

Another first novel that reads like one. It has good parts and bad parts and feels a bit uneven. The book jacket compares it to Special Topics in Calamity Physics as well as The Secret History, but it is not really like either one. Here’s what it does share with those  favorites: an elite academic setting, precocious teenagers who are far more intelligent then the adults around them and speak in a completely unrealistic way, a mystery, a secret society, and characters who are annoying. It seems like a lot when I write it out that way, but the plot here is very different. The author is clearly intelligent and she packs plenty of philosophizing and symbolism into this book. At times the writing is also engaging. Ultimately, this book has some interesting ideas, but didn’t quite come together as successfully as it could have.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

This is a semi-entertaining book where the clique is a group of high school cheerleaders. The story examines the girls and their “friendships” with other girls, and a murder. At times I was reminded, vaguely, of Special Topics in Calamity Physics. Most of this book is completely unrealistic, although I have no idea how competitive cheerleaders really are so I can’t comment on that aspect of the story. If they are like this – keep your distance. There is some VERY clumsy writing here – numerous mistakes where you scratch your head and think….wait, didn’t I just read something totally opposite of this? There is also some lovely writing that really digs into the angst, the anger, the joy, and the confusion of being a teenager. But, overall I think this was not a very successful book. * I should add that I have read about 4 books by Megan Abbott and give them all 2 stars. She is just not an author who speaks to me.

Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand

This was tough to read. It was very weird and a lot of the story didn’t hang together for me. This one sits in the supernatural vein, with an elite school and a secret society that is actually a goddess of the moon cult. It has some fascinating ideas, but it just didn’t quite work.

And that is now, the end of my review series. I will continue my quest to read all books inspired by The Secret History and may add more reviews in the future if I come across anything brilliant!