Author: April Mattson

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 168456056X

Online bullying has become a catchphrase for our day. No longer the traditional bullying in the schoolyard, it casts a much wider net. In The Sharpies, the stereotypes of bully and victim are far more nuanced. When a violent act occurs, suspicion is cast on all the characters, for nothing is as simple as it appears. A documentary crew descends on a suburban city in Ohio, centering on four young women who'd been dubbed the Sharpies ten years before. The interviews disclose the story of three close friends—Andi, Shaye, and Phoebe—who come across a new girl, Mabel. Andi is sharp-witted; Shaye, dramatic and beautiful; and Phoebe, kind and welcoming. Mabel is poor, from a dysfunctional family, and craves their friendship. They attend the same church, and Phoebe invites Mabel to their youth activities. Andi and Shaye soon resent the time Mabel spends with Phoebe and becomes suspicious of the attention she demands of her. Throughout the summer, tensions rise. Mabel relishes the comforts of the Doon family while Andi considers her manipulative and strange. When school begins, things only erode further. Phoebe becomes wary of Mabel as she continues to dominate, but for the most part, they view her as harmless. Yet when the girls are sent to the principal's office with evidence of photos posted from Phoebe's computer, and then later, a violent crime, it begins the onslaught of public opinion and criminal charges. Andi is as passionate about Phoebe's innocence as Mabel is about her own. Also dispersed are recollections from the youth pastor, a police investigator, and school officials, which cast enough doubt about who the real culprit is. There are those who know more to story and those who are willfully blinded to the truth.