One Small Thing

Three and a half stars. Beth lives a half life ever since her older sister Rachel died. Her parents are over-protective but also have made their home a shrine to Rachel, stifled by the atmosphere and the helicopter parenting Beth sneaks out and goes to a party in the bad side of town where she meets and hooks up with a gorgeous guy called Chase. The next day, shocked at losing her virginity to a complete stranger, and feeling totally out of control Beth resolves to turn over a new leaf. But her resolves is sorely tested when she goes back to school and finds that Chase is not only a new joiner at the school, but also the boy who was responsible for her sister's death. For most of the book I flip-flopped between thinking Beth should apply for emancipation from her parents who crossed the line past over protective and into scary controlling and thinking that Beth was too stupid for words and the author of her own misfortune. I was also disappointed that once again female friends are shown as shallow, unreliable and judgemental - but maybe that's me being naive about high school teenagers, as I recall it was like that at senior school. Some of the characters were also a bit too much of a caricature, signalling early on what unfolded at the end. And yet ... At the climactic conclusion I was literally on the edge of my seat (on a crowded commuter train) compulsively gripping the seat, on the verge of shouting out (I know!) because the tension was that strong! Overall, not my favourite Erin Watt but gripping nonetheless.