THE WOLVES ARE WAITING

Fifteen-year-old Nora Melchionda remembers sipping root beer at a fraternity fundraiser, then nothing more until Camille Dodd woke her on the Faber College golf course.

Adam Xu interrupted a sexual assault on Nora, chased the three assailants away, and texted Cam, Nora’s best friend, for help. In the aftermath, Nora wonders if it’s her fault: She’d worn a miniskirt, earning her conservative mom’s disapproval, and her older brother, Asher, had already warned her about how some boys interpret girls’ short, tight clothes. Cam feels guilty because she’d been at a different party kissing Asher at the time. So when Nora refuses to report the matter to the police, well-intentioned Cam forges ahead, persuading Adam (who has long nursed a crush on Nora) to help her investigate, although his parents work at the college and he fears repercussions for their employment if he gets publicly involved. Meanwhile, Nora makes painful discoveries of her own that have a devastating impact on her relationships. This small New York town is proud of the college’s sports prowess, its privileged male athletes nurtured by an entrenched Greek system and overseen by Nora’s beloved college athletic director dad. The fast-paced plot and well-developed characters bring a crime with broad, deep roots nourished by local tradition into compelling focus. Like most of the town, Nora’s family is White. Biracial Cam is Haitian and implied White; Adam is Chinese American.

Gripping and resonant; a good pick for intergenerational book clubs.