The Drowning Pond by Catherine Forde
Egmont UK (Paperback), 2005
256 Pages
BLURB FROM THE COVER
Hey, guess what? You’re no one. Invisible. You’re middle of the class, ordinary at sports, and your friends are those silent gerbil types who do their homework on time.
But what if one day the glossy people noticed you? Took you out clubbing. Made you their friend… And then changed their minds.
Say you could get back in by picking on the weirdo new girl. You would. Wouldn’t you?
EXTRACT
So.
It did end up here.
Merlock Country Park on Hallowe’en Night.
According to Isabella there was even supposed to be a full moon.
‘Imagine. A witch’s moon for us, Nicky. Perfect, eh? Isabella hissed in my ear while we scrambled a low dyke, sneaking into the park.
REVIEW
This was my first time reading Forde. YA fiction is my secret indulgence and I wanted to read this as soon I read the blurb on the back cover. As a high-school bullying victim I know how nasty girls can be so The Drowning Pond was very appealing.
I loved The Drowning Pond.
Forde changes viewpoint frequently throughout The Drowning Pond. This worked really well. I liked having different perspectives on what was going on. This made The Drowning Pond a lot more complex than I expected. Forde gets bullying and the special type of malicious cruelty teenage girls are capable of. The Drowning Pond is completely believable and well written. I loved the way Forde wrote about the cliques and complexities of high school. I thought Nicky was a great character and had great sympathy for her. Her desperation to be accepted by the biggest bitches in school was chilling and so very real. The Drowning Pond is a great read and well worth a look.
RATING