cover image Doreen

Doreen

Ilana Manaster. Running Press Teens, $16.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-7624-5962-9

Sex, lies, and secrets are the hallmarks of Manaster’s debut, an appropriately dark retelling of Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Heidi is the queen of campus at the Chandler Academy boarding school, a role she has built for herself and takes very seriously. When Doreen Gray—cousin to Heidi’s roommate, Biz—comes to Chandler, Heidi sees a chance to turn a quiet, plain girl into one of the most powerful women on campus, along with Biz and Heidi herself. Heidi’s plans don’t unfold as planned, leading the trio down a dangerous path. As updates go, Manaster’s gender-bent version is quite faithful, with power-hungry Heidi a stand-in for Lord Henry, Biz a moral foil à la Basil Hallward, and a Photoshopped image of Doreen the vehicle for her transformation and a gruesome record of her downfall. Readers familiar with the original will have no trouble identifying the many parallels. Filled with vivid imagery and characters readers will love to hate, the story takes on a haunting, sinister tone early on, maintaining it through the descent into madness. Ages 13–up. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June)