Pages:
352
Publisher:
Mira Ink
Release
Date: 7th
April 2016
Edition:
UK e-proof,
NetGalley review copy
Other
Titles by this Author: A Little Friendly Advice, Same
Difference, Not That Kind of Girl, Burn for Burn, Fire with Fire, Ashes to
Ashes, The Last Boy and Girl in the World
It
happens every September – the list is posted all over school. Two girls are
picked from each year. One is named the prettiest, one the ugliest.
The
girls who aren’t picked are quickly forgotten. The girls who are become the centre
of attention, and each reacts differently to the experience.
With
The List, Siobhan Vivian deftly takes you into the
lives of eight very different girls struggling with issues of identity,
self-esteem, and the judgement of their peers. Prettiest or ugliest, once
you’re on the list, you’ll never be the same.
I’ve been wanting to read The List since it was first released in
the US years and years ago so I snapped it up as soon as I saw it was being
published in the UK. It didn’t fully live up to expectations, but I did enjoy
it.
The premise behind this novel has
fascinated me for a really long time and I was hoping for a blistering look at
the pressures on girls to conform in their image, personality and social
activities. It didn’t even get close to that until the last 50 pages or so as
everything began to unwind. I think that was partly due to the restrictions of have
8 POVs examing each 8 girls with the depth and agency they deserved. I did
actually really like hearing from all 8 POVs – that many is usually too many
for me - but it did mean we couldn’t go as deep as we wanted.
And yet some of the girls were much
more present that others. I loved exploring the relationship between sisters
Fern and Abby, Candace’s fall from Queen B, Margo’s struggle to keep her
friends and Danielle’s battle with accepting the way being a varsity swimmer affected
her body and the way she was seen. And then there was Bridget. My heart broke
for her. I won't ruin anything about Bridget’s storyline, but it was getting
into her head that finally hammered home the horrifying repercussions of being
on the list, whether listed as pretty or ugly. It soon steamrollered and
effected all 8 girls, causing them to each battle different pressures of being
a teenage girl and all of the desires, fears and motives that come along with
needing to survive that time.
No more did this make itself
known than in the surprising reveal of who was behind the list. I loved the way
that this turned the story around and really refocused the cruelty of the list
and of high school in general, actually. Though I still can't begin to imagine
how the faculty let something so awful and damaging become a tradition at the
school. It’s disgusting and it just defies belief a little.
The
List is a really
interesting read and I read it quickly and easily, it just didn’t give me the
punch in the gut I was hoping for.
Thanks to NetGalley and MiraINK
for the review copy.
Sophie
I'm intrigued by this but I think 8 POVs might be too much for me, and yeah I would have loved a proper in-depth exploration of the impact and effects of the list. Great review :)
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