Buy Here Lies Bridget
Special: $7.93 (Regular price: $9.99)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Paperback
Reviewer: Melissa on April 14, 2011
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Is it any wonder that a girl named Bridget Duke would be the ruler of her school? She’s the meanest girl in school, but underneath her veneer of power is a girl with plenty of insecurities. When new girl Anna Judge comes on the scene and achieves instant popularity, everything seems to be falling apart faster than Bridget can put it back together. A starved-for-attention Bridget crashes her car and stumbling into limbo, where she’s facing those she’s wronged in dreadful ways and the prospect of literally walking in the shoes of these five people. Can Bridget redeem herself in the eyes of her peers, step mom, and teacher? Read Here Lies Bridget to find out!
When I first picked up Paige Harbison‘s debut novel HereLiesBridget, I was under the impression that it would be a dark comedy in the vein of TV shows Six Feel Under of Dead Like Me. While there are some very funny moments, but it takes awhile to get to them. More than half of the novel focuses on building up the character of Bridget to not only be a mean girl, but also to be an seemingly horrid individual. Bridget is a self-absorbed, jealous, and selfish teen, who respects no one — not even her “best” friends, and is the very opposite of the titular character in “Cinderella”. She strikes fear in the hearts of others and is completely unaware of the way in which her actions, statements, and behavior have potentially affected the possibility of her being able to apologize for her actions sincerely. I mean, would you honestly forgive someone who is solely responsible for years of self esteem issues?
Harbison leads readers inside the mind of Bridget and demonstrates that most of the time, she feels guilty or insecure herself when she does something mean. You’ll also note that her lack of self awareness contributes to her inability to see the damage she causes the rest of the time. If the author was Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, this this ignorance about her actions would’ve been enough to set her free if she ever decided to reverse her behavior. But she isn’t Dickens and this isn’t the 19th century. Therefore, Bridget is held to a higher standard of scrutiny than is ever required of Ebenezer Scrooge. For me, this dose of realism makes it is a worthwhile read.
Keep in mind that this view isn’t necessarily shared by all readers. In fact, a large number of readers complained that the book was predictable and that the resolution was hurried, while the setup of Bridget’s mean girl status was drawn out for too long. While it is true that the balance between the first and second portions of the book aren’t balanced in length, I don’t see this as a problem. Still, while I wasn’t bothered by the structure of the novel and the weight given to each portion of the book, I wanted you to know that they do exist in case you agree with them.
Overall, Here Lies Bridget is a well-put together novel, which uses elements of A Christmas Carol and “Cinderella” in new and intriguing ways. For those who want a new perspective on mean girls in high school, this novel really delivers both overwhelmingly antagonistic feelings for the anti-heroine and a realistic resolution.
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Melissa has always been a voracious reader of fiction and has an M.A. in English Literature to prove it. Like many other adults, she got caught up in the young adult crossover fiction phenomenon. Now, one of her great joys comes from sharing her love of YA lit on this popular review site. Come with expectations of intellect, magic, and honest reviews, and you won’t be disappointed.
