Plowing Through Betrayal

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
New York: Razor Bill, c2009.
235 p. ; 21 cm.

This book was recommended by the Wilson Senior High Core Collection 2010 supplement, and I can't say I would have recommended it. It's shallow, overwrought, and filled with cardboard characters.

The central figure is a soulless high school senior named Natalie, whose only ambition in life is to see her and her boyfriend crowned Palmetto Queen and King: a goal she achieves, only to see it unravel over her guilty attempt to cover up a prank gone awry. She comes from the poor side of town and wants nothing to do with that old life with its stereotyped "trashy" inhabitants - opting instead for the snideness and snobbery of her elite friends (and the equally unpleasant adults). In the world of this book almost everyone seems to be crass, superficial, and hedonistic.

I guess being too judgmental of this book is to miss the point entirely; it's pure escapist fantasy and really meant only to entertain (though the author has attempted to have the story echo Macbeth). For myself, I just have to care a little bit more about the characters to lose myself in the entertainment of a book - or the plot has to be so compelling that I'm willing to forgo better character development. This book just didn't have enough of either for me, but I'll see how it circulates with students before completely writing it off.