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A review by heykellyjensen
Be True to Me by Adele Griffin
Set on Fire Island in 1976, this is a story about two girls -- Jean and Fritz -- and the new boy they're fighting over. It's a story of heat and romance, of summer, and about two girls who don't hate each other, don't tear one another down, but who are fiercely competitive, both on the tennis court and off. Griffin can write twists in her stories and this one is no exception. I'd come to accept something as the resolution and then BAM it was pulled from me (in a good way).
These are rich white kids getting in trouble, so it should appeal hugely to those who loved We Were Liars or other books in that vain. Well written, and the setting in 1976 really gives flavor to that time period without feeling like it's an ode to nostalgia.
One thing that I loved, and it's a small thing, was that both Jean and Fritz have sex with Gil in the book, and their experiences of that first time are so wildly differently. It's nice to see a story where that first sexual encounter is rendered in two very different, and yet totally normal, capacities.
These are rich white kids getting in trouble, so it should appeal hugely to those who loved We Were Liars or other books in that vain. Well written, and the setting in 1976 really gives flavor to that time period without feeling like it's an ode to nostalgia.
One thing that I loved, and it's a small thing, was that both Jean and Fritz have sex with Gil in the book, and their experiences of that first time are so wildly differently. It's nice to see a story where that first sexual encounter is rendered in two very different, and yet totally normal, capacities.