Writing style
Descriptive · Direct · Witty
Apple BooksTampa
Literary fiction · Dark comedy · Satire
- First published
- 2013
- Print length
- 266 pagesEcco, 2013
Description
Celeste Price, a twenty-six-year-old middle-school teacher in Tampa, secretly targets adolescent boys. Unhappy in her marriage, she chose teaching because it gives her access to fourteen-year-old students she wants to groom. She singles out shy student Jack Patrick, manipulates their classroom interactions, stalks him at home, and begins an abusive relationship. Celeste enforces secrecy and strict rules, while Jack seeks an emotional intimacy she does not want. When Jack’s father, Buck, becomes entangled in her efforts to maintain access to his son, the situation grows more strained. Celeste becomes increasingly paranoid about Buck’s influence and about how Jack may respond.
Reading profile
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Pace
Brisk
Tone
Dark · Satirical · Tense · Unsettling
Structure
Linear
Focus
Character · Relationships · Voice
Emotional intensity
5 / 5
Reading complexity
1–5 · higher means more demanding- Writing
- 3 / 5
- Ideas
- 3 / 5
- Structure
- 2 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
Themes
Book details
For the print edition listed above.
- Publisher
- Ecco
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780062280541
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