Testimony by Anita Shreve

Testimony
by Anita Shreve
Pub. Date: May 2009
Genre: Fiction
352pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices—those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal—that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Why I Picked It:
Everywhere I looked, I saw this book. I'm not a huge Anita Shreve fan so I wasn't very interested. But a simple wish list mistake on Paperbackswap had it in the mail on it's way to me before I could do anything about it. I opened it as soon as I got it, and didn't put it down until I finished.

My Review:
Anita Shreve is always an easy engrossing read. This story unfolded so carefully, I kept turning the pages trying to fill in all the blanks. She takes a situation of teenage indulgence, in the setting of a private school, and intertwined all the story lines using different character voices to move the plot along. It's really a very tragic story, and one that most people who have reached the age of 30 has experienced in one manor or another. How one decision (good or bad) can change the whole course of your life.

I felt so badly for some of the characters, and others I found to be incredibly selfish, deserving of everything they got. The so-called victim of the sex scandal made me want to scream, instead deciding that there are more victims of carelessness than one would want to admit.

It is appalling to think of the extent to which teen drinking occurs, and in this book, the alcohol abuse wasn't even limited to the children. There are several adults that used the alcohol to weaken their own convictions and cross their own lines and thereby, causing their own consequences.

Yes, Anita Shreve writes consistently good characters and storylines. Maybe I should read her more, but I always put her in the "fluff" book category.