Testimony

Testimony by Anita Shreve is, on the surface, a testimonial against teenage drinking.  Set in a elite boarding school in Vermont, the story revolves around a sex scandal that occurs ostensibly as a result of binge drinking.  The author says in the clip below that if she could chose an audience for this book, it would be teenage boys.     

The story unfolds through the voices of each of the major characters and with each entry, the plot thickens.  Suffice it to say, things are not as they appear on the surface.

This book has gotten excellent reviews.  I read quite a few  and not a single one questioned why Shreve does not go more deeply into the back story of the girl who was involved.  She deepens almost every other character's story.  I was left wondering what would motivate a girl to behave this way and Shreve did not answer my question. I thought it weakened the book considerably.