Downers Grove (novel)

Downers Grove is a 1999 American coming-of-age horror novel by Michael Hornburg. Its plot centers on the last two weeks of teenage girl's life as a high school student growing up in Downers Grove, Illinois.[1] The novel was originally published by William Morrow and Company in 1999, and reprinted in 2001 by Grove Press.

Downers Grove
First edition cover art
AuthorMichael Hornburg
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreBildungsroman, horror novel
PublishedJuly 21, 1999, (William Morrow)
April 9, 2001 (reprint; Grove Press)
Media typePrint
Pages240
ISBN978-0-688-16528-4
LC ClassPS3558.O6873 D69 1999

Plot

Crystal Methedrine Swanson, known as Chrissie, is a teenager in Downers Grove, Illinois, about to graduate from high school. Her father has disappeared, while her brother has become a heroin addict, and her mother has begun dating a bizarre man. As her graduation nears, Chrissie and her close friend, Tracey, worry about a curse surrounding the high school that has led to multiple students dying each year. After nearly being raped at a party by one of the school's football players and harassed after, she worries she may become the next victim.

Reception

Publishers Weekly gave the book a positive review, calling the novel "disquieting in its timeliness."[1] Robin Henley of The Chicago Tribune wrote: "If the story and setting sound like territory that has been well-trod, that's because it has been, but what makes this novel a welcome addition to the canon of coming-of-age literature is the voice Hornburg has created for Chrissie. Hornburg knows the rhythms of teenage world-weariness, a self-possessed patter that often belies the terror of straddling the worlds of adulthood and childhood."[2]

Adaptations
Main article: The Curse of Downers Grove

The novel was adapted by Bret Easton Ellis into a film in 2015.[3]

gollark: "its confidence" meaning "the confidence belonging to the keyboard" seems to fit better.
gollark: I assumed you meant "the confidence of the keyboard" and not "lose it is confidence".
gollark: "Its" is an, er, possessive adjective.
gollark: "It's" is short for "it is".
gollark: I was just highlighting the location of the incorrect "it's".

References
  1. "Downers Grove". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  2. Henley, Robin (August 1, 1999). "A Touching Look At Teens Coming Of Age In Downers Grove". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  3. Spiegel, Janel (October 26, 2015). "Interview: Author Michael Hornburg". Horror News. Retrieved January 22, 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.