Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Overview
As the book continues to establish Maddie as perhaps the girl with the least amount of problems, Trish seemingly is leaving the story.
Trigger Warning: Rape
Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Characters & Story
Chapter 8
In chapter 8, not much really happens. There is another movie night, which includes Maddie, Vern, Trish, and an Ambien addict, but outside of talking about Juan in security, there is nothing worth noting. However, with a conversation about how Angela was pimped by her male cousin at 12, and Trish raped in the 8th grade while at her parents’ pool house, the chapter gets a slight jolt. Though with Maddie not presenting anything besides sneaking out and hitchhiking, the volt sent through the chapter is quickly quelled.
Chapter 9
We learn Trish is leaving and, afterwards, the only person left who will be close to Maddie’s age will be Jenna. Who Maddie has no intentions of befriending. However, refocusing on Trish leaving, it is her prissy seeming mom and annoying suburban little sister who pick her up. Which, considering how Maddie described Trish, seems like her polar opposite. But, despite how Maddie has described Trish, and her not being the sweetest toward her, in her time of need, it seems they both will miss each other.
Commentary
Being that Maddie seems like such a cagey character, I wonder if the book is going to be more about others than herself. After all, based off her last Cynthia conversation, she has a lot of observations about the peculiarities of others, yet seemingly has little insight on herself. Leading to, thus far, all type of judgments about others, and enough of their backstory to make them quite a bit more interesting than her.
I mean, with Angela being pimped by her cousin, Trish being raped, and people like Vern and Juan being seldom mentioned, but full of potential, it really makes Maddie seem like an odd protagonist. Then again, from the start, the book has made everything else seem far from what would be expected, like with how the rehab looks and is ran, so why shouldn’t the lead be any different?
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