Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Choker-- a Virginia Reader's Choice nominee in the high school category for 2013-2014

Choker, by Elizabeth Woods, is the story of friendship gone wrong... one friend getting a little too possessive of another friend.  Plenty of creepiness and suspense:  if you've seen the movie The Roommate, you know what you're in for.

Cara and Zoe were best friends when they were younger, until Cara's family moved away in fifth grade.  Now 17, Cara comes home from track practice one day to find that Zoe is in her bedroom, on the run from a troubled situation at home involving her stepdad.  Cara agrees to hide her, and at first it's great to renew their friendship.  Cara has tried over the past several years to stay out of the way of the popular girls at school, especially Alexis and Sydney, who make fun of her, and having Zoe around bolsters her self-esteem.  But then Sydney dies-- an apparent accidental drowning in the pool.  And not too soon after, Alexis disappears.  Cara feels more and more uncomfortable around Zoe, who vacillates between wanting to help Cara become more popular and resenting the time Cara spends with anyone other than herself.  As Zoe's behavior becomes more and more bizarre and possessive, Cara becomes convinced that her old friend knows more about what happened to Sydney and Alexis than she's letting on.  This dark roller-coaster of a story will have readers grabbing their seats as they race to the finish... with a surprise loop-de-loop at the end.

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