A highly regarded writer of adult novels, Joyce Carol Oates has
turned her remarkable talents to writing for younger readers. This
is an utterly absorbing book about two 16-year-old high school
students, and the relationship that develops between them following
a police investigation. Matt Donaghy is bright, popular and
good-looking but a bit too clever for his own good. When someone
overhears a throwaway remark of his in the cafeteria about staging
a school massacre, the police are called in and a full-scale
enquiry ensues. As a result of his infamous 'big mouth', Matt is
ostracized by his peers, under pressure from their families. Matt's
parents retaliate by filing their own lawsuit against the school,
and Matt becomes increasingly isolated and depressed. But there is
one person who believes Matt has been wronged and she is determined
to stand up for him. Ursula Riggs, or 'Ugly Girl' as she ironically
calls herself, knows what it's like to be an outsider - tall and
muscular, she rebels against the cute prettiness of her mother and
sister Lisa by hiding behind a veneer of toughness and defiance,
not caring what she wears or what she looks like. The two
communicate via e-mail - many times they both come close to
admitting the true nature of their feelings about each other, but
as many messages are deleted as are actually sent. It is not until
Ursula catches Matt contemplating suicide that she lets the
barriers down, and out of the crisis the two develop a deep and
lasting friendship. Ursula is a stirring heroine, a loner who has
few friends yet is fiercely loyal, with a burning integrity. The
burgeoning relationship between the two teenagers is utterly
convincing, although Ursula's character is more fully developed
than that of the more anodyne Matt. Teenagers will identify with
both, and with the pressures put upon young people to conform.
Oates also makes some pertinent comments about the fickle nature of
some so-called friendships, and how they can quickly buckle under
stress. In this scintillating novel, her finely tuned ear for the
minutiae of personal relationships has never been better displayed.
Ages 13+ (Kirkus UK)
'Matt Donaghy has always been a big mouth'
But its never got him into trouble – until one day when two detectives escort him out of class for questioning. The charge? Matt has been accused of threatening to blow up Rocky River High School.
'Ursula Riggs has always been an ugly girl'
She has no time for petty high-school stuff like friends and dating. Ursula is content with minding her own business. And she doesn't even really know Matt Donaghy.
But Ursula knows injustice when she sees it
And she's not afraid to speak out.
'Every single Oates novel I've read has added to my conviction that she is a genius.'
Julie Myerson, 'Independent on Sunday'
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