Testimony by Anita Shreve

A sex scandal at a New England boarding school unleashes a storm of shame and recrimination throughout the small community. A chorus of voices--those of the men, women, and teenagers involved--details the events of that night and their aftermath. Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve brings us a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellinglyexplores the impulses that drive ordinary people into intolerable dilemmas, or the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment. Editorial Reviews From Booklist *Starred Review* Shreve, consummate crafstman and frequent provocateur, is on fire in her latest novel, a mesmerizing read centering on a sex scandal at a prestigious Vermont prep school. The story is laid out in short, dramatic chapters narrated by a chorus of participants and bystanders, from the beleagured headmaster to the heartbroken parents to the vacuous girl at the center of the scandal. Three star basketball players were videotaped having sex with a freshman, and the tape was then posted on the Internet. The reaction is immediate and the results devastating, destroying marriages, ruining futures, and, most horrifying of all, resulting in a death. Part of what makes the novel so riveting is its graphic rehashing of a scandal familiar from newspaper headlines, but most of this affecting novel's appeal lies in the way it so carefully fills in the nuances often missing from the headlines. One of the boys, the son of local farmers who was attending the elite school on scholarship, had learned a shocking secret about his mother just prior to the incident and, uncharacteristically, had too much to drink. Conversely, the girl ultimately calls the cops, thereby alerting the media, and accuses the boys of rape because it's easier than having to face the wrath of her father. Shreve views all of the characters, even the most flawed, with a good deal of compassion, revealing the heartbreaking consequences of a single reckless act. --Joanne Wilkinson --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Shreve's novels (Body Surfing; The Weight of Water) benefit from propulsive plots, and her mixed latest, with its timely theme of debauchery among children of privilege, does not lack in this regard. The first paragraph foreshadows a tragedy in which three marriages are destroyed, the lives of three students at a private school in Vermont are ruined, and death claims an innocent victim. The precipitating event is a sex tape involving three members of the boys' basketball team and a freshman girl. Beginning with an account of the debacle by the Avery School's then headmaster, and segueing to the voices of the participants in the orgy, plus their parents and others touched by the scandal, the narrative explores the widening consequences of a single event. Shreve's character delineation is astute, and the novel's moral questions--ranging from the boys' behavior to the headmaster's breach of legal ethics to the guilt of those involved in the death--are salient if heavy-handed, while the female characters are wicked in the way women have always been stereotypically portrayed. The novel is clever, but the revolving cast of narrators often feels predictable and forced, keeping the novel on the near side of credible. (Oct.) Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From Bookmarks Magazine Most reviewers hailed Testimony as a deft, insightful exploration into the tragic, far-ranging effects of a single night. Yet critics diverged on a number of points. Some thought that Shreve's diverse perspectives made the sex scandal and other characters' plights, such as those of the guilt-ridden adults, more immediate. But a few claimed that the fractured narrative distracted from examining the morally gray situation more fully and decreased the overall emotional impact. Character development similarly raised questions. As the reviewer from Los Angeles Times noted, the girl on the tape--portrayed more as vixen than victim--is Shreve's missed opportunity for an exploration of what drives young girls toward promiscuity. In the end, however, Testimony--like Shreve's other novels--is not always enjoyable, but it's impossible to put down. Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC --This text refers to the mass_market edition. Review A tale that is mesmerizing, hypnotic, and compulsive. No one walks away unscathed, and that includes the reader.?Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal Gripping....Shreve sets us down in a swirling drama that ruins lives, ends one, all stemming from a night of drunken abandon at a prep school.?Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News Contrasting the sweetness of young love with the primal recklessness of lust, Shreve paints a chilling portrait of how bad decisions in brief moments can ruin lives. ?Joanna Powell, People Gripping. . . . TESTIMONY will break your heart even as you race on to the next page.?Jennifer Roolf Laster, Houston Chronicle Haunting....Paced like a thriller, TESTIMONY sustains its intensity to the end.?Carmela Ciuraru, Hallmark --This text refers to the mass_market edition. About the Author Anita Shreve is the author of fifteen critically acclaimed and bestselling novels, including A Change in Altitude, Body Surfing; The Pilot's Wife, which was a selection of Oprah's Book Club; and The Weight of Water, which was a finalist for England's Orange Prize. She lives in Massachusetts. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile This full-cast production tells the spellbinding story of a sex scandal caught on videotape at a prestigious New England boarding school. The drug and alcohol-compromised participants, particularly the 14-year-old victim, portray the tension of sexual curiosity and the reality of next-day regret, making the event especially believable. Harsh but compelling scenarios of the rape are presented through the voices of multiple participants. The account is also told from several viewpoints--the parents, privileged underage students, school administrators, and a reporter. Although the novel's beginning is graphic, the surprising truths, healing, and life transformations make the story worth continuing to the end. The choice of multiple narrators adds to the intensity of the production. G.D.W. ® AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition.