Marlena by Julie Buntin
Fiction

Told in flashbacks, this debut novel is a gut-wrenching and poignant dissection of a friendship between two young girls that ends when one of them dies. New in economically depressed Silver Lake, and reeling from her parent’s messy breakup, 15-year-old Cat is desperately lonely until she meets her wild and intoxicating neighbor, Marlena. Affected by poverty, absentee fathers, drugs, and drink, Cat and Marlena connect briefly, but deeply. As their lives spin out of control, the one thing that separates them is their view of the future: Cat knows she will leave town, and Marlena knows she is trapped there. And then Marlena is found dead, drowned in six inches of icy water. Does Cat bear responsibility for her friend's death? Years later, adult Cat is still haunted by her time with Marlena, and is struggling to overcome alcoholism and a sense of alienation. Marked by vivid prose, and precise and perfect word choice, this is a gritty and dark read.

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