Title: The Truth About Alice
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Source: Amanda (Of Spectacles & Books)
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party.
But did you know Alice was sexting Brandon when he crashed his car?
It's true. Ask anybody.
Rumor has it that Alice Franklin is a slut.
It's written all over the bathroom wall at Healy High for everyone to see. And after star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car accident, the rumors start to spiral out of control.
In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students - the girl who had the infamous party, the car accident survivor, the former best friend, and the boy next door - tell all they know.
But what exactly is the truth about Alice? In the end, there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.
My Review
For a book that’s just under two hundred pages, Jennifer Mathieu’s The Truth About Alice packs a punch and delivers the pain right to the guts. This book is one that readers will wow readers so much that they’ll want to devour in one sitting, but it’s also conflicting because readers will want to savor it and make it last just a little longer. I did the latter, and decided to savor it, and it paid off. The novel is both heartbreaking and healing, though much of the book deals with heartbreaking issues such as bullying, depression, death, and mourning. Other issues, such as sex, drinking, and religion are brought up in the book, so it has a little something for everyone. Matthieu tackles these issues with grace and writes about them beautifully with such a vast array of emotions.
The novel is told from four different perspectives, and each character has his or her own opinion about the infamous Alice Franklin. Rumors are swirling around the small town of Healy, Texas, and teenage residents, Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and Kurt all have something to say about Alice and what allegedly happened at Elaine’s party and the weeks that followed. The multiple narrator aspect allows for a multifaceted story that perturbs and engages readers as they turn every page. I really liked that this novel was told from the different points of view. As the book progresses, readers are able to put the puzzle pieces together to figure out the truth until Alice finally comes out to tell her side of the story. Each character had his or her own voice, and this springboards Mathieu amongst some of the best contemporary YA authors. I was never confused about who was narrating each chapter, and I loved each character’s unique voice.
I did feel like the four narrators represented the typical high school stereotypes and were clichés but the inclusion of that feature made the book more realistic and believable. No matter where you go to school, there are popular girls, jocks, nerds, and quite possibly, back-stabbing friends. I really enjoyed reading and learning about these characters they all conform to their respective stereotype in certain ways, but they are still able to break the mold and surprise readers by doing unexpected things at unexpected times.
Every teenager (and fan of young adult books) should and must read The Truth About Alice. Even with it’s more mature content, it’s such a powerful and emotionally slaying read because it realistically shows just how vicious teenagers can really be. On the other hand, it also shows that there still is some good in the world, even when it seems like all hope is lost. I would recommend this book for fans of gut-wrenching books and movies like The Breakfast Club and Mean Girls. If you’re looking for something realistic and suspenseful, read this book.
The novel is told from four different perspectives, and each character has his or her own opinion about the infamous Alice Franklin. Rumors are swirling around the small town of Healy, Texas, and teenage residents, Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and Kurt all have something to say about Alice and what allegedly happened at Elaine’s party and the weeks that followed. The multiple narrator aspect allows for a multifaceted story that perturbs and engages readers as they turn every page. I really liked that this novel was told from the different points of view. As the book progresses, readers are able to put the puzzle pieces together to figure out the truth until Alice finally comes out to tell her side of the story. Each character had his or her own voice, and this springboards Mathieu amongst some of the best contemporary YA authors. I was never confused about who was narrating each chapter, and I loved each character’s unique voice.
I did feel like the four narrators represented the typical high school stereotypes and were clichés but the inclusion of that feature made the book more realistic and believable. No matter where you go to school, there are popular girls, jocks, nerds, and quite possibly, back-stabbing friends. I really enjoyed reading and learning about these characters they all conform to their respective stereotype in certain ways, but they are still able to break the mold and surprise readers by doing unexpected things at unexpected times.
Every teenager (and fan of young adult books) should and must read The Truth About Alice. Even with it’s more mature content, it’s such a powerful and emotionally slaying read because it realistically shows just how vicious teenagers can really be. On the other hand, it also shows that there still is some good in the world, even when it seems like all hope is lost. I would recommend this book for fans of gut-wrenching books and movies like The Breakfast Club and Mean Girls. If you’re looking for something realistic and suspenseful, read this book.
