Choker (review)
2011; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 64; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2011.a414121
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Digital Games and Media
ResumoReviewed by: Choker Kate Quealy-Gainer Woods, Elizabeth . Choker. Simon, 2011. [240p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-1233-0 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-1235-4 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12. When the best friend she hasn’t seen in seven years suddenly shows up in her bedroom asking to hide out for a while, Cara is simply too grateful to be suspicious; her junior year has been less than pleasant, and since she earned the nickname “Choker” in an embarrassing cafeteria incident, things have gone from bad to worse. With Zoe around, however, Cara has someone who will give her the support and encouragement to reinvent herself. One quick makeover later, Cara is oozing coolness and attracting the likes of Ethan Gray, the king of the social scene; unfortunately, things are not going so well for the popular girls, as one meets an untimely death and another is reported missing. When Ethan is wrongly accused in the girl’s disappearance, Cara realizes that Zoe’s recent bizarre behavior may hold a few clues, but when she confronts her friend, she gets more than she bargained for. Though the characters here are a parade out of any Hollywood teen movie—the snotty queen bee, her clueless but charming boyfriend, the humiliated nerd, etc.—and the plot [End Page 305] reads like a standard scary story, the formula still works, and the result is a wellpaced psychological thriller perfect for a dark and stormy night. Zoe is a deliciously creepy villain, and her physical deterioration from beautiful friend to corpse-like wraith takes the tone of the book from disturbing to downright malevolent. While the twist at the end may take a few readers by surprise (think Fight Club but with a teenaged girl), savvy teens will recognize the signs shortly after Zoe make her initial appearance. Though far from innovative, this account of high-school horrors is certainly sinister enough to satisfy fans of Scream and the like. [End Page 306] Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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