In this haunting and explosive debut, Meredith Miller explores the truth behind three girls on the cusp of adulthood, and all the shocking realizations that come under the guise of growing up. Perfect for fans of I’ll Give You the Sun and Girl in Pieces.
Ruth, Magda, and Isabel are different from everyone else. They can see beneath the seemingly perfect, cookie-cutter exterior of their small town of Highbone, Long Island. They know that below the surface, each house is filled with secrets, indifference, and violence.
These girls refuse to become willing participants of these fake lives. Instead, they are determined to fight every condescending comment, every unwelcome touch, and every lie they’ve been told.
When the opportunity to commit the perfect crime appears, the girls finally start to see their way out of Highbone. But for the first time, Ruth, Magda, and Isabel are keeping secrets from each other. As they drift apart, the weight of reality starts to set in. These girls can’t save each other. They might not even be able to save themselves.
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I’ll admit that I picked up Little Wrecks solely based on its cover and the comparison to I’ll Give You the Sun so I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading it. After just a few chapters, though, I found myself struggling to continue – to the point where I finally gave up at chapter 12.
My main issue with Little Wrecks was the characters. I just couldn’t feel anything for them, which may be due to the narrative structure: the narration is distant, filled with more telling than showing, and isn’t easily distinguishable between the three main characters.
The plot itself moved quite slowly and wasn’t compelling. The “perfect crime” was underwhelming and not very well thought through, making the mere act of turning pages to see what happened next feel like a burden.
Overall, I was quite disappointed by Little Wrecks and the fact that I had to exercise my right to DNF a book. Maybe I’ll give it another chance a few years from now.
