Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Tyler has gone from being an ignored geek to a juvenile delinquent on probation. His crime? Spray-painting the high school and getting caught. His father, not the best under any circumstances, treats him with disdain and the high school principal is just itching to find an excuse to kick him out of school permanently.

When his family goes to a party hosted by his father’s boss, nothing good happens. The climax to a horrible evening is Tyler getting pushed into a waiter who was carrying a tray of champagne glasses. The glasses go everywhere and the boss’s daughter, Bethany, a girl so beautiful that Tyler speaks incoherently whenever he is around her, cuts her feet badly enough to require stitches. While embarrassing, this event gets Tyler noticed by Bethany. One thing leads to another and Tyler ends up at a party with a very drunken Bethany who wants to do more than kiss him. Tyler, however, makes the right decision and leaves the room. He also makes sure that Bethany gets home safely. It’s only later that he finds out that someone has taken compromising pictures of Bethany while she was passed out and published them on the internet. Who’s everyone’s first suspect? Tyler, of course.

When I first started Twisted, I didn’t think I’d be able to finish it. It’s not that it wasn’t good – it’s just that the pain everyone was feeling was so palpable that it hurt. Once I got through the beginning, I didn’t want to put it down. I usually don’t read much from Thanksgiving until Christmas because I have so many other things to do, but last night nothing else got done – no cards, no cooking, no present wrapping. I was just consumed with finding out what happened. While I didn’t like this book as well as Speak, I felt Anderson did a fine job of portraying Tyler and his family. I am looking forward to reading her next book.