Margaux Froley's Escape Theory reminds me of another book, though I can't quite remember which, I just know it's a good thing. I wasn't sure at first if it was just another teen drama book but not long later, I was absorbed in the story and knew it'd be a good read with a worthy finish. I wasn't disappointed.
Devon Mackintosh is a student at Keaton, an elite Californian boarding school on a hill by the sea in the fictional town of Monte Vista. In her first year, Devon met Jason "Hutch" Hutchins, a guy who lives by his own rules and has a lot more fun for it. They spend one night together, locked in the school kitchen and eating pancakes and they connect over peanut butter.
After that they barely spoke. When Hutch is found dead, suicide by overdose, Devon is appointed as the peer counsellor to help her friends - and Hutch's - through the difficult time. But Devon is conviced that it was murder; she knew Hutch and she knew he wouldn't kill himself. He didn't even do drugs, unlike most of the school as it turns out.
When everyone else is starting to get over Hutch's death, Devon can't let go. She's a girl obsessed, desperate to find out what happened when everybody else has accepted the suicide theory. Except one. Raven, a freshman, is on Devon's side and willing to help out. Devon makes notes during her counselling sessions and breaks the counsellors' code to pull information out of the three people she's helping: Matt (Hutch's best friends), Isla (Hutch's girlfriend) and Cleo, a kleptomaniac caught shoplifting. Devon is the puppet master, putting all the jigsaw pieces together to solve the mystery.
Though I pre-empted a couple of the twists, it wasn't enough to spoil the story or make it boring to read - I loved the touch of Devon being the peer counsellor, rather than just another nosy, meddling teen detective. It's her job to help her friends and hopefully find out what happened, for her own peace of mind.
I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone under fifteen as the main themes are quite heavy: drugs, sex, suicide and murder. It manages to include enough details and facts to substantiate the plot without overpowering it. There are quite a lot of characters too so if you find it tough to keep up with a few different storylines, this probably isn't the book for you.
This is Froley's first novel and and I can't wait for her to bring another book out. I loved the strong lead characters and finally a teen girl who doesn't give everything up for the perfect guy - Devon's guy is far from it. If you like a mystery, a good teen story or a bunch of very different characters, this is for you.
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