The Tragedy Paper

by Elizabeth Laban

Enter here to be and find a friend.

The prestigious Irving School has quite a motto, doesn’t it? Clearly, this novel for young adults will address two themes: friendship and tragedy.

Our story begins with Duncan, a young man beginning his senior year at Irving. When he finds his assigned dorm room, he immediately searches for the "treasure” left by its previous occupant, an old Irving tradition.

What he finds is a stack of compact discs left by Tim Macbeth (already a wee bit heavy on the tragedy theme). The CDs are not what Duncan expected them to be. Instead of music, Tim has recorded a tragic tale for Duncan, the true (and tragic) story of what happened with Tim and fellow classmates last year.

The novel alternates narrators, and, of course, both young men eventually share a moment together in this tale.

While I enjoyed the narration by Tim, I found the tragedy theme to be a bit heavy-handed. And annoying. Still, I enjoyed this novel.

 

8/29/13