The EDGARS got it right in the YA category this year. Congratulations to all the nominees but an especial virtual cheer for these two novels about “mad” girls confined–one contemporary, one historical, and both fabulous!
Nova Ren Suma’s novel moves with the dreamlike lucidity of magic realism from a gritty scene between back-stabbing ballerinas to a surreal prison where dangerous vines wend their way between metal bars. Another remarkable recent entry into this genre is BONE GAP by Laura Ruby. These books read together like a good Cabernet and a square of dark chocolate! And if stories of madwomen trapped in asylums is your “jam,” a great read-beside for Mindy McGinnis’s latest is Jennifer Donnelly’s THESE SHALLOW GRAVES.
