THROWAWAY GIRLS

A tenacious 17-year-old girl pieces together a dark account of class.

Caroline’s world is one of stifling privilege at her Maryland prep school and at home with her uptight, homophobic mother and passive father. Her saving grace was The Wayside, a bar in West Virginia where she used to meet up with the ex-girlfriend with whom she could wholly be herself, two secrets not even her best friend, Madison, knows about. This is why, after Madison goes missing, Caroline finds it bizarre that Madison had a matchbook from The Wayside. Caroline is determined to solve Madison’s disappearance but along the way learns of other missing girls that no one is looking for, girls whose lives attract less attention due to their race and socio-economic status. As the mystery unravels, Caroline scrambles for leads to find Madison and the others. In a parallel narrative, an intriguing, ominous voice narrates a life wholly the opposite of Caroline’s. It will take defiance and cost Caroline things she holds dear to find the truth and avenge past wrongs. This haunting debut infused with social commentary on privilege and power is one that readers looking for suspense will enjoy. The author uses the relationships between characters, the second narrator shrouded in mystery, and the overall sinister, menacing tone to create a captivating tension that will keep readers going until the end. Caroline and Madison are White.

A smart, memorable mystery.