All Souls

by Christine Schutt

Everything I read in reviews of this novel is true. The writing style is choppy. The plot is not cohesive. The characters are not fully developed.

But anyway. . . this is the story of a group of seniors at the Siddons school, a fancy prep school in New York City. Mostly, the girls are worried about getting into the colleges of their choice, but there are other assorted worries as well.

Astra Dell, one of their own, is dying in the hospital. Car, her best friend, is fading away in front of their eyes, a victim of anorexia. And Lisa has embarked upon an affair with one of her teachers. A lesbian affair.

So, there are all of these characters and plots, but nothing really comes together. And we really never get to know any of the characters.

Kind of a disappointment.

6/6/08