Megaphones and Mayhem in DARE ME

Okay. I just want to start by stating that Megan Abbott's Dare Me is a novel about cheerleaders.  Pass all the judgements about the book's subject that you want; I did the same thing when I picked it up.  However, let me go on by stating that, as someone who does not like is typically hesitant about picking up books about cheerleaders, I was sorely (and gladly!) mistaken.



Dare Me is told from the perspective of Addy, a varsity cheerleader who devotedly carries out the duties of her captain and long-time best friend Beth.  It's simple: Beth calls the shots and Addy obeys and enforces.  Both girls are feared and respected by all; feared and respected until Collette, the new coach, shows up.  Perfect and unrelentingly perfectionistic, Collette drives the team to become the most competitive they have ever been, and she doesn't hesitate to replace Beth with another squad member as "top girl" on the squad.

But when Beth's anger toward her usurper boils over, and secrets about Coach's extracurricular misconduct leak out, Addy is caught between the coach whose personal life she has become increasingly intertwined with and the spurned captain desperately trying to regain the throne.

The absolute best part about this book is Abbott's ability to tell a seemingly banal story of high school jealousy, friendship, and pettiness as if it were a Greek tragedy.  Addy's inner conflict of who to trust, Beth or her Coach, will test her strength and ability to become her own individual.  Dare Me is a fascinating novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. You won't be able to put it down.