Book Review: 'Dead Girls Don't Talk' by Sandra J. Paul

Two former best friends, both seventeen-year-old girls, are in a speeding car together. It crashes and one girl dies, while the other is unscathed. It isn't an accident, that's almost certain. There are two sides to this story, and interestingly, our dead girl is able to tell hers. The book is formatted such that reading from one side reveals Syl's perspective, while flipping it over from the other reveals Viola's. And finally, in the centre of the book, is the truth of what happened the night of Syl's death.

Syl has had a hard life. She was never loved by her parents, and instead grew up spending more time with Viola's family than she did with her own. Unfortunately, they grow apart, because Viola is an inconsistent friend, who ignores Syl when she is sick of her, and emotionally manipulates her to get her back when she needs her. Both of them live in the inappropriately named Love Hill, a town full of homogeneous rich families with no tolerance for differences. Syl has secrets that no one in Love Hill can find out. 

Viola doesn't have it easy either. On the surface, it seems like she has it all; caring parents, a loyal best friend, and a perfect boyfriend. Is Syl really that great a friend, though? Or does she just pretend to be perfect? She is clingy, after all, and seems to be the daughter Viola's parents wish they had instead of her. That is enough for resentment to arise. It only gets worse when Viola's family implodes, and Syl's family has something to do with it. 

Over two years, we watch the drama unfold in Love Hill, especially in the high school which Syl and Viola attend. All events lead to Syl's death, which, surprisingly, isn't the only one that takes place. 

I am not sure how to feel about this book. The author has tried to create complex main characters, neither of whom is telling the complete truth. Depending on whose side one starts with, I am certain that there is room for bias to creep in. I started with Syl's side, and I definitely favoured her for most of the book. However, I have to say that Viola, although having visibly antisocial tendencies, is much more self-aware than Syl. This shows a deep grasp on human nature on the author's part; no one is perfect, and it is very difficult to say who is 'better' between two people. Unfortunately, this understanding seems to be partial. Even if the narrators are unreliable, over time, I have come to expect a certain consistency in character, which was lacking. I often found myself confused, and I cannot decide whether the characters are just that cleverly developed, or whether some more work could have been done on making each of them cohesive. 

The plot was certainly dramatic, but it had the strange quality of simultaneously seeming to have too much and nothing going on. As a result, I was both frustrated and bored as I read, which I had not previously thought possible. Readers were shown exact conversations and events from both Syl's and Viola's perspectives, and while their opinions differ greatly, repeating the facts in both parts of the books seemed a bit unnecessary. Of course, for any random reader, it is undetermined which side they will start with, and in that aspect, it is important to give context on each side. I wonder if there is a way to do that without copying and pasting dialogue. 

Without the subplot about Annie, it would have been hard for Syl to tell her story, but it seemed random and out of place nonetheless. The truth, while unexpected, and without overly exaggerated shock value, was disappointing. Due to the repetition and dragging of the story, I struggled to get through the book. I respect the author's attempt at a fresh concept, and I can appreciate the difficulties in writing such a book. With some more work, the book could have been more engaging and truly impressive. It was a good try, but I am not sure I would recommend this book. 

Book Review: 'Suicide Med' by Freida McFadden

Heather is a new student at Southside Medical School. Despite being a passionate student, she is nowhere near the top of the class, and finds herself struggling to keep up, especially in the notoriously difficult anatomy class. During anatomy, she is working on the same cadaver as her quirky and unfriendly roommate Rachel, shy, sweet Abe, Abe's attractive and intelligent roommate Mason, and silent Ginny. Everyone seems to have secrets, though, and acts at least slightly strange. After all, Southside Med is no ordinary med school, either; it is nicknamed Suicide Med, because every year for the last six years, a student has taken their own life. Interestingly, the suicides started happening the year Dr. Conlon, their anatomy professor, began teaching there. Is that a coincidence, or is there more to it? And more importantly, who will be next? 

After reading several books by Freida, I have come to realise that although her books never fail to hold my attention, they are very formulaic. This book, however, is different right from the start. I have never before read any books in which her characters were in college. This made me wonder whether McFadden was in med school, or had recently graduated at the time she wrote the book. The main difference from her other books is that the plot is so much more intricate. Each character's backstory is well thought out and extremely detailed without there being an information overload, or without making the book longer than an average novel. It is clear that no character was an afterthought, and that the author was simultaneously thinking in multiple streams. All the different ends tied together neatly, instead of the story spiraling out of control. That is no easy feat, and I am impressed by how she managed to pull it off. 

I am not usually a fan of using multiple first person perspectives, because that often makes things confusing to readers, while detracting from the complexity and overall quality of the writing. However, this book was one of the cases where it turned out to be necessary, and was done well. The atmosphere of the book was crafted just right; I could mentally picture dimly lit classrooms and hallways, and an overall bleak tinge to everything. 

The whole approach of this book was so radically different compared to her other work that I was sure that this was one of her earlier works. Upon some Googling, I found out that this was her first thriller novel. In fact, this edition of the book is no longer available. She rewrote some subplots and republished it as 'Dead Med'. I was lucky to stumble upon a rare copy of the original version. Her reason for changing the book was that she found a certain subplot "embarrassing". Admittedly, in hindsight, the subplot in question was a bit much, but if I had not done additional research, perhaps I would not have felt this way. At the time of reading, it gave the book some shock value without being obviously over-the-top, although it was slightly unconvincing. 

I have not read 'Dead Med'. I cannot deny that I am slightly curious about the specific changes she made, but I do not plan on reading it any time soon. Freida's prolificness is admirable, and over time, she has gotten better at writing more realistic work that also has layered insights into how we think, as individuals, and in society. However, in the process of churning out books in rapid succession, her work has become increasingly repetitive, with a mass-produced quality. She cannot be blamed for this; today, to sell more copies, authors are often required to have a personal brand, which often boxes them into writing the same kind of book over and over to be consistent and reliable. 

'Suicide Med' was refreshing and original, an absolute contrast to the above-mentioned issue. It is obvious how much effort was put into the book, into doing the best the author possibly could. The only major criticism I have for this book, if any, is that it lacked depth, but that can be forgiven, considering that it was only her second book. This book was meant to entertain, and that it did thoroughly. I am very grateful to have stumbled across this gem and would like to read more of her earlier work.