What We Hide

This story set at an English boarding school during the Vietnam War is told from alternating viewpoints. Each classmate reveals to the reader what he or she is hiding from the others. Jocelyn makes each character distinctly believable--differently flawed yet sympathetic. There's a satisfying arc of discovery for each individual--some of whom keep their secrets, others who let them go.

Jenny's life turns upside-down when her brother Tom enrolls in college abroad to escape the draft, while his best friend Matt (Jenny's secret crush) is shipped off to Vietnam. At the last minute her parents arrange a semester abroad for her at an English boarding school (hopefully strengthening Tom's draft exclusion). She relishes the chance to re-invent herself and allows her new classmates to believe that Matt is her boyfriend. So starts this story of a school semester told from alternating viewpoints, as each classmate reveals to the reader what he or she is hiding from the others. There is the heartthrob who tries to live up to his own rumors; the friendly, unapologetic "slut"; the hard-to-closet beautiful boy and his townie boyfriend, whose life depends on keeping their secret; the biracial son of a famous but absentee father. Though from a distance readers will recognize all the obvious archetypes and lessons, they'll easily become absorbed in the story and appreciate Jocelyn's expert job of making each character distinctly believable -- differently flawed yet sympathetic. Jocelyn adroitly uses cultural references to establish her time period, though this is less historical fiction than true teen drama. There's a satisfying yet realistic arc of discovery for each individual -- some of whom get to keep their secrets, and others who let them go. nina lindsay