Testimony: A Novel - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellinglyexplores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

One of the Best from Shreve in Years!!! October 26, 2008
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

Anita Shreve never plays it safe with her books and her latest, Testimony, is no exception.

Avery Academy is a small private school in Vermont. Everyone who attends has been carefully screened and selected to attend. From the rich young freshmen to the athletic seniors tapped for college play; no one attends Avery Academy by chance.

But for Avery Academy, all is not as it seems from outside its gates. Parties, which include alcohol and drugs, still occur and kids still get in trouble. This sets the scene for a horrible sex scandal from which no one will come out unscathed, not the students, not the parents, not the headmaster of the school; and not even the citizens of the town of Avery who don't even usually pay too much attention to what goes on behind the hallowed gates up on the hill just out of town. Parents find that even though they pay for the best education for their children, send them to the best schools available, they still can't protect them. Adults find that passionate desires can have far-reaching effects that can change lives forever.

Told from multiple points of view (I counted 20) in less talented hands the narration could get confusing. But with Shreve, it did not. Perhaps that was because with over a dozen of these narrators we only hear from them once or twice.

However the story essentially belongs to three people: Mike, the headmaster of the school who we get to know the best, and Silas and Noelle, the two star-crossed lovers; Silas the basketball star, the local boy made good, son of average farmers from the town of Avery and Noelle, the talented musician destined for Julliard. As the story of the events of that one evening of sex and alcohol unfolds it is becomes clear that Silas stands to lose it all. But what sets in place such behavior uncharacteristic of the normally mild-mannered youth is at the crux of the rest of the story.

A graphic beginning describes the events of that tragic evening; and this is so graphic that it could tend to turn off some readers, readers who may be unfamiliar with Shreve's work. But those who have come to know and trust Shreve as an author will be compelled to keep reading and be certainly glad they did as the events unfold, a bit at a time, through the voices of not only Mike, Silas, and Noelle, but parents, classmates, and the other students involved in the scandal. We also hear from a reporter who eventually wins the Pulitzer for his reporting of the events.

However as the story develops, readers see that the scandal is only the tip of the iceberg for a greater tragedy that will even more deeply affect those involved.

This is Shreve at her best. She tells a compelling story so eloquently that is one of those deemed "unputdownable" -- be sure to start this one early in the day so you will have plenty of time to finish as once you begin it, you will not be able to stop turning the pages.

5 out of 5 stars

Favorite Shreve Novel October 21, 2008
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

Beautifully written, TESTIMONY is a cautionary tale that explores the precipitating factors and aftermath of a student sex scandal at a private Vermont high school. Told through the alternating personal testimonies of 21 people involved or impacted, its creative structure is an all-out exploration of viewpoint: first-, third-, and even second-person, in past and present tenses.

The explosive premise brought to mind the Duke University lacrosse-team scandal and the local and national reactions to it. Short chapters drew me in, and the close-up points of view revealed character in a way that led to understanding and, in almost every case, sympathy. It was tricky at first to keep the characters straight while so many were being introduced. But as things progressed and an underlying story took hold, it became riveting. Highly Recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

"The consequences of that one night have been catastrophic." October 23, 2008
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

A firestorm erupts when a dormitory parent confiscates a tape in which three boys engage in intimate acts with a fourteen-year-old girl at a private school. The young people who appear in the tape attend Avery Academy in Vermont. Anita Shreve's "Testimony" examines this incident from every possible angle, using a Rashomon-like approach. She demonstrates how difficult it is to learn the truth when various witnesses offer conflicting opinions about what happened and who should bear the responsibility.

Mike Bordwin, the headmaster of Avery Academy, is shocked when he views the tape and sees Robert Leicht, and Silas Quinney, both eighteen, and James Robles, nineteen, behaving inappropriately with a pretty young freshman after an evening of heavy drinking. The author provides many perspectives besides Bordwin's, including those of the participants, the parents, Silas's girlfriend, a newspaper reporter, a roommate of the victim, a police officer, a cafeteria worker, an ER nurse, the dean of students, and a law professor. It soon becomes apparent that the story changes according to who tells it, and that there is plenty of blame to go around.

Using a straightforward and powerful prose style, Anita Shreve explores a number of thought-provoking and timely themes: The abuse of alcohol among young people is "starting at an earlier age and [is] both more habitual and more intense that it had been just a decade before"; students who attend private schools and who are athletically talented may behave recklessly because they feel "privileged"; when reporters grab hold of a scandalous story, they often transform a human tragedy into a media circus; our misdeeds may destroy not only our lives but also those of our friends and family. "Testimony" is a searing and powerful indictment of a society that, in many ways, has lost its moral compass, and for that, everyone pays a price.

5 out of 5 stars

From S. Krishna's Books October 21, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Testimony is a powerful novel that that weaves an intricate story of truth and consequences. It is told after-the-fact through the eyes of multiple people involved in the scandal. The title is actually a description of the book, as each of these people are giving testimony as to what happened that fateful night and how it affected them. This method provides mere glimpses into multiple lives, but allows for a more sophisticated understanding of how the consequences of the actions of a few individuals affected a wide range of people.

Because that's what this book is about - consequences. What are the consequences of a single action? How much do mistakes cost? How much should they cost? Are there crimes for which a person should pay his or her entire life? But it also delves deeper into the psyche than it seems. Was it just the fault of the boys on the tape? What about the girl, was she at fault? What about the circumstances surrounding each of the boys? If one of them was having a hard time at home, was the fact that he made a poor choice the fault of his home life?

I think the most delicate part of Testimony, and the part that will be the most discussed in book clubs and such, is whether the girl was at fault. It is clear from her portrayal in the novel that she is no innocent and knew what she was doing. At the same time, legally, the boys were responsible for their actions. It is a heinous and incredibly awkward thing to read about, and engenders internal conflict within the reader - whose side am I on? Is it really even a matter of sides, or is the whole thing so unthinkable that it just doesn't matter? It really provides fodder for thought and discussion.

This is a serious subject and one that is becoming all the more relevant as children are increasingly eager to become adults at younger and younger ages. There was one point made in Testimony that I thought was incredibly interesting. It was towards the very end, but is not any kind of a spoiler. One of the characters says, "I don't believe any of us...gave a single thought to the age difference. We knew there was a disparity, of course, but I think because we were all part of the same community, allowed to attend the same dances, even encouraged to attend the same dances, it never occurred to us that one girl might be off-limits while another wasn't." Of course, this is no excuse, but it does present an interesting point that I have never considered. It is definitely a book worth reading. I especially recommend it to book clubs because this is a book that will produce a lot of discussion.

4 and a half stars rounded up to 5

3 out of 5 stars

Review October 21, 2008
8 out of 15 found this review helpful

Mike Bordwin is the headmaster at Avery Academy, a prestigious boarding school in New England. Mike suddenly finds himself heading up an investigation of the most scandalous kind the school has ever seen. A video tape has surfaced. The video shows a fourteen years old girl in a compromising position with three boys. Mike will have his hands full as he tries to get to the bottom of how this situation happened. A situation that will rock the whole community.

I have to say that I thought Testimony was an ok book. It did have a good storyline. The problem I had with the book was that I wanted to take each character and shake some sense into them. The parents were oblivious to what their children's actions and the children either thought they were untouchable or they wanted to sweep their mistakes under a rug so they could make their parents proud. I found the characters so whiny to me that it turned me off and made me lose interest in the rest of the book. Though I do believe that this also shows that Anita Shreve can writing very well and for this reason I would give her another try.

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