Rundown
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Driven by something she cannot understand, a teenager tells a dangerous lie
In the last 16 days, 7 women have been assaulted by the South Bay rapist, and the students of UC Berkeley walk to class in fear. To the campus, he's a terror. To Jennifer, he's an opportunity. An overindulged high school student who feels unable to escape her older sister's shadow, Jennifer is desperate for attention—no matter how she gets it. To steal the spotlight from her sister, she's about to do something unspeakable.
Jennifer goes running in the canyon after dark. She throws herself through a bramble patch and staggers to the campus police, covered in scratches and blood. She was attacked by the South Bay rapist, she claims. She barely got away. When her lie spirals out of control, however, Jennifer realizes the spotlight is hotter than she can handle.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers will likely be both fascinated and repelled by the intricate web of deception woven by the 16-year-old narrator of this sometimes confusing psychological drama. Cadnum (Heat) shows rather than tells Jennifer's desperate need for affection and attention when she meticulously fakes an attack by a serial rapist, then reports it to the police. Her story about fending off the man gains her publicity and sympathy, but instead of feeling gratified, she suffers pangs of guilt and moments of panic. Her twisted relationships with her highly successful parents, her self-centered older sister and her ex-boyfriend are slowly revealed, providing insight into her personality. During the investigation of the case, Jennifer is terrified of being found out. At the same time, she longs to be freed from her lies. The author uses bold, dramatic strokes to paint a haunting portrait of his protagonist and, in his characteristically elliptical style, leaves plenty of blank space for readers to fill in. But while the pacing is as taut as ever, the narrative lacks the cohesion of Cadnum's best works--readers may wish that the author had shaded in some of the gaps. Ages 12-up.
