The Bitch Posse

I picked up The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor because it's written by a woman on one of my writing lists. But I read it nearly non-stop, complaining loudly when real-life intruded on my reading time, because it grabs you and pulls you in. The writing is fantastic. The story is one that will keep grabbing you days after you've finished the book, when one of the characters pops into your head and you find yourself thinking about her as if she was someone you knew, someone you might want to shake now and then and say "think about what you're doing!" Then you realize that not only are you having an imaginary conversation, you're having an imaginary conversation with a character from a book!

Three girls are spiraling out of control, holding on to their friendship above all else, surviving because of their friendship yet led down a dark path because of it at the same time, and eventually fleeing from each other in various ways. Yet, the impact of events from years ago continues to haunt them each in different ways and each are spiraling out of control again.

The language is harsh, but real. People do say f*ck in real life. The situations are bleak at times. The parents are not Ozzie and Harriet by any means--even Homer and Marge look good by comparison. But yet, it's not a dark book somehow. Martha O'Connor has written a gripping story that will interfere with your life because you will ignore things like hungry children to keep reading.