All Girls

"All Girls" by Emily Layden explores how a small exclusive community selling female empowerment, deals with a sexual assault accusation and the scandal that ensues. Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different pupil, all girls.

General Impressions

I have recently fallen in love with Alyssa Sheinmel and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's books and the way they explore female relationships, particularly relating to teenage characters, so my expectations were certainly high when I started this book.

Each chapter explored a different perspective, being told by a different girl which I found perfect for those that like to space their reading. (Which I was not able to do here and I'm not sorry).

More than about the scandal/alleged crime itself, this is a book about how a closed community deals with scrutiny and the weaselling lack of answers from its leaders.

Although gender and race were featured, what most grabbed my attention was whenever class and money were addressed.

Characters

Every girl was always fully aware that the school (and world) put a price tag on them and the moment their perceived value was less than what they feared losing, they would be forfeited. Emily got the bureaucratic and politically correct language so right when it came to big institutions promising to care for their pupils or employees' welfare while only ever protecting their reputation and donors list.

While I hated the kind of environment this book was set in, I applaud the author for making me like or at the very least understand why these characters were a certain way while still being able to be surprised for good and bad.

Emily Layden portrayed a very diverse cast of teenagers as thinking, opinionated, resourceful people, some of whom are ostracised by the cynicism that comes from understanding what the more innocent or idealistic ones still will: that when a young girl fights for what she believes, as she was taught, she is often derailed by those same mentors, who are happy to decorate their world with smart women as long as they get to stand over them.

Conclusions

I was left a bit frustrated by the ending and some loose ends, particularly because it was exactly the kind of conclusion you were beaten into expecting and I already get my daily dose of white rich people getting away on the Daily News but that is only a small part of what I thought to be a wonderful debut. I'm already looking forward to Emily's next book.

Thank you to John Murrays for sending me this proof.

Rating: 4/5