Important novel with a good message however lacks in some areas

Slow to start off with, but picked up speed at around 25% and didn't slow down again. I had trouble telling the narrators apart, except for Kurt, but that's often a problem for me so it's probably not the writing. I didn't find anything particularly stand out about any of the characters - there's the Mean Girl, the Follower, the Jock, the Nerd, and The Girl Everyone Thinks Is A Slut Even Though She Isn't. It was well written, though.

Not quite as good as Moxie, but Jennifer's not-quite-as-good is still head and shoulders above a lot of other writers.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

I requested a digital copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley and was very pleased to receive it (very fast) as I loved the author's first UK release, Moxie.

I read this book in about four sittings, and particularly at the start I was quite addicted!

The book is told from four American students' perspectives, and centres around the rumours spread about one student - Alice. The story not only makes the reader think about the issues of gossip, and slut shaming, but also about how these things get spread, who people believe and why. Coming from having read Moxie last year, the reader could reflect again on the feminist issues as well as the roles teens play during high school, and the pressures of how they are perceived within the hierarchy. With this book being set in America I think it represents a much more intense high school experience than what you would find in the UK in terms of social dynamics.

There is a particular character's section of the book that focuses on quite a difficult life experience and one of her parents is involved in this. I found this relationship between the parent and teenager quite interesting, and would have liked to learn a little more about that characters story. Perhaps an indication of hope, and positive progressive next steps after that trauma.

This book touches upon a couple of quite heavy issues (I don't want to give any spoilers). And the way it was told reminded me a bit of 13 Reasons Why.

I enjoyed reading the book, if I could wish for more I would hope for a clearer resolution and development in regards to the school culture of slut shaming and the rumour mill, for instance say how in Moxie the frequent sexism was challenged.

Alice lives in a small town where gossip travels fast. It so happens that the lies people say in order to hide their own flaws start destroying Alice's life. When all people she used to perceive as friends turn their backs on her she finds a real friend in the most unexpected person in the whole school - Kurt, a totally antisocial school genius. Through the story they get to know each other better and evolve while other characters are stack with guilt and remorse. Great book for fans of '13 Reasons Why' by Jay Asher.

4.5 Stars.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu is such a thought-provoking story, and so incredibly important.

What's great about this book is that it's told from the perspective of other people, and show just how rumours can happen and get out of control. There's Elaine, the most popular girl in the year, who held the party in which Alice supposedly slept two two guys, Brandon Fitzsimmons and Tommy Cray; Kelsie, Alice's former best friend, Josh, Brandon's best friend who was in the car with him during the accident, and Kurt, outcast genius who lives next to Brandon's family. Alice is semi-popular, and while Elaine has tolerated her, she's had a problem with her since eighth grade, when she found her and Brandon kissing in the coat closet at a school dance, a dance she went to with Brandon. Before moving to Healy, Kelsie was a misfit at her previous school, but now she's semi-popular. She doesn't want to be the girl she was before, and doesn't want Alice's reputation to drag her down. Josh not only survived the crash, he saw what led to it; he's the one who tells Brandon's mum that Brandon was distracted by the sexual texts Alice was sending him. Kurt has always fancied Alice, and doesn't care about the rumours; he just wants to help her.

All four have their own story to tell, have their own thing that they're dealing with. For some, it's partially covered by what's said above, but for others it's not. But each person, in some way - and not always in the way you expect - has had a hand in how Alice is being treated now. But, like with 13 Reasons Why, the story shows how something small, like telling someone something about someone else, can have a snowball effect and ruin someone's life. I was bothered mostly by Kelsie; she was Alice's best friend for crying out loud, but she was jealous of her, and far too scared of becoming the outsider again, that she dumps her friend without a second thought. Sure, she misses her, but she believes everything she hears, she judges her, and can't bear the thought that being friends with her will affect her social status. She is such a coward. And sure, she's not had the best time, but that is absolutely no excuse for how disgustingly she treats Alice. God, I can't stand her. She may not have caused Alice to get bullied in the first place, but Alice needs her, and she turns away. The other three do varying levels of terrible things, and they're all, in part, to blame for what Alice is going through, and it's just awful.

The Truth About Alice is really short, at 199 pages, so there's not a huge amount more I can say without spoiling the story. I do want to say that I'm pretty sure Josh is gay, but I don't think he's admitted it to himself yet. I say "pretty sure", but really, I'd say he definitely is gay, but that's just my interpretation of what I've read. It's hinted at throughout his chapters, though he never actually comes out and says it. But by the end of the book, I think it's pretty clear that he is as far as I'm concerned, and that his sexuality is a major reason behind what he does to Alice. And although there's a part of me that thinks for this day and age, we need someone's sexuality to be more than hinted at, I think the story may have possibly played out a little differently if Josh had already admitted it to himself.

The one negative is that there is use of the word "retarded" once in the book, by Kelsie, in regards to how she feels Alice is talking to her. I don't approve of ableist language being used, but in this case, I think it shows the kind of person she is, so it felt realistic. Saying that, there are other words, different language that could be used to show how awful Kelsie is - and her actions speak pretty loudly anyway, so it's not really necessary. It's used in her narration, rather than in dialogue, so it's never challenged. I do think it was realistic for the character, but to not have it challenged makes me uncomfortable.

A really quick but powerful read. It will open your eyes, it will make you think, and it will make you question all you hear. And it might make you reach out a hand to someone who is being bullied. Such a wonderful book, I highly recommend it.

The Truth about Alice by @jenmathieu
Characters
The story is told from the point of view of four students at the High School. They are separate enough to not contaminate the narrative and question any of the storytellers.
There is, however one overlap. Alice herself. Each narrator is almost a point on a compass, take one on it’s own and you’re a little lost as to how you feel about the focus. Put them together, and you have a full picture.
The picture I’m given of Alice is one that I like. She is my favourite character. I don’t know if that’s because I don’t get her narration of the events that occur, but she certainly is the person I want to get to know more.
Plot
The plot and tone of this book fits well with novels like Asking For It, One of Us is Lying and Thirteen Reasons Why. Rumours have been spread around the small town and the book picks up weeks after the party in which the incident is to have happened. What would have ordinarily been a burn book-esque rumour has escalated at the death of one of the people involved.
The novel uses four bystander’s perspectives to unpack everything that happens; from the incident itself to the aftermath. Along the way, the characters reveal more about themselves than Alice, including their motives for any part they may have to play in her banishment from almost every social circle.
It’s a tense mystery that keeps Alice at arm’s length, which only adds to the chilling lesson to be learnt. From an outsider, it’s easy to say we’d help Alice and we’d see through the social politics. I for one know, I wouldn’t be that brave.
Writing
Jennifer Mathieu’s writing is on point. She has an ability to keep a mystery while keeping her characters open and vulnerable. The ability to tell the story of Alice, without her being the storyteller is simply genius.
It was Mathieu’s UK debut, Moxie that gave me back my love of reading. She has a way of telling a bold and impassioned story that helps you question the treatment of others. The Truth about Alice, if I can be so bold, is even better than Moxie. It’s a story that builds upon the necessity of books like Thirteen Reasons Why and Asking For It, but allows the reader to look at the after effects from another perspective.

I haven't posted the review to my blog yet.

Summary

Everyone at Healy High knows that Alice Franklin is a slut. She's always doing 'it' with everyone and now she's taken it a step two far, Sleeping with not one, but two boys at Elaine O'Dea's party and now everyone knows that she caused Brandon Fitzsimmon's death as well. She's a social outcast.
The reader hears from everyone, Elaine, the party girl, Kelsie, Alice's ex-best friend, Josh, best friend of Brandon, and Kurt, the boy next door. But who is telling the truth or just their version of it? The mystery unravels as each person makes their own confessions.

Review

If you loved 13 Reasons Why, I found The Truth About Alice to be a far superior novel. I want to pass it on to my sisters to read, one is at university and one at high school, I want them to see how these things start. I want to show it to all the people who believed the same things about me in high school that the people in Healy believe about Alice.

The thing is, this novel really resonated with me. I was never as popular as Alice but some nasty little girl in high school did start a rumour about me, a rumour that caused me to be mentally and physically abused for the rest of my high school career, so I know how this feels. I know how much this novel is based on what happens in real life. Because kids are cruel, I wish I'd had a Kurt to get me through it and not 15 years of counselling and medication.

What I'm getting at, is the importance of the message which The Truth About Alice is getting across. The way that one simple lie, one simple exaggeration can cause misery for a person who is perhaps already a little miserable. The themes of this novel are so important, I can't stress that enough. This should be compulsory reading for every teenager in high school. It really should.

Interesting, well developed characters and a story that doesn't always move in obvious ways lifts this above a standard teen tale of high school scandal/gossip. Appealing for older readers