Staff Book Reviews
Andrea reviews EVEN WHEN YOU LIE TO ME by Jessica Alcott (Crown, 2015)
It’s hard to be Charlotte (“Charlie”) because guys are constantly drawn to her best friend, Lila. Charlie has always lurked in Lila’s shadow, knowing guys don’t want her around when they’re flirting with Lila, and other girls just put up with her because she is Lila’s best friend.
Now it is the girls’ senior year, and things are going to be different. Charlie just doesn’t know how different yet! Enter Tom Drummond, new AP English teacher, whom Charlie feels an instant pull towards. She wants to believe Drummond has feelings for her too, but that’s preposterous because guys like Lila and besides, he’s her teacher! Or maybe the notion isn’t so crazy, after all.
Lines get blurred because the two are consenting adults, but they also need to think about the ethics of the situation and the moral responsibility Drummond should uphold. I found their relationship complex and intriguing with a twinge of creepiness. Hopefully, other readers will find a lot to discuss after reading this debut novel by Jessica Alcott.
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Library