Where once we felt her pain, we suddenly feel as though we don't know her at all. I can understand the allure of avoiding spoilers - but by shutting us out of Jess's mind, Lo shuts us out of her emotions. We readers only find out what really happens in the epilogue. This keeps the mystery a mystery, even though Jess and the other girls have all the answers. We go from Jess's perspective to a mix of police transcripts and third person narration that never lets us get close to any of the characters. Once the crime has taken place, the point of view shifts. Unfortunately, at this critical point, A Line in the Dark flounders. They have to decide what's worth protecting and what needs to come out into the open. Soon the police are investigating a terrible crime, and only the girls know the truth of what really happened. Then one night at a party, it all comes to a head. Angie won't admit that Margot is a mean girl who ruins lives, or that Margot's already destroying everything Jess cares about. She begins to learn more about Margot and Ryan, things that Angie can't see. Jess has an inside view of the goings-on at Pearson-Brooke, since she has a place in their art exchange program. When Margot and Ryan waltz into the ice cream parlor like they own it, Jess feels her world shift.Īll of a sudden, Angie and Margot are dating. That's the nickname the public school kids have for students at Pearson Brooke, their town's fancy boarding school. Maybe it could have gone on like that forever, if it weren't for the Peeb girls. It's a truth they won't even admit to themselves. Neither of them talks about the fact that Jess is in love with Angie.

Jess hangs out at the ice cream parlor where Angie works, and Angie reads every new page of Jess's graphic novel about a girl who fights evil mutants with the help of her reliable best friend. From the outside, they're everything best friends should be. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title A Line in the Dark Author Malinda Lo

A line in the dark malinda lo