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A review by bethreadsandnaps
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster
3.0
This is Jen Lancaster’s, who is known for funny memoirs, foray into serious teen fiction about suicide. The author is about 10 years older than I am, and she firmly came out of John Hughes’ movies and early rap. So it’s no wonder her characters are all about the 1980s and 1990s references even though the chance all of them would actually be is rather low. But the characters are supposedly all quirky enough to listen to Public Enemy and watch Roger and Me.
In this wealthy suburb that mimics her own, teens who are overly stressed out by their parents to be perfect are killing themselves on the train tracks. Some have drug problems. Some have mental health issues. Some are clearly ignored by their parents.
I feel this book is more oriented toward the parents of these kids, as Lancaster comes off more relatable to the generation of their parents. “Back off” might be the message I take away.
The teen characters in this book seemed real (minus their outdated lingo and obsession with the 1980s), and several grew and changed maybe more than one might actually expect to occur.
The character Mallory is given some scenes where she engages in one-in-one peer counseling at school. I’m not sure that schools would put teenagers in a counselor role to anywhere close to this extent, especially in a place with such a high teen suicide rate.
In this wealthy suburb that mimics her own, teens who are overly stressed out by their parents to be perfect are killing themselves on the train tracks. Some have drug problems. Some have mental health issues. Some are clearly ignored by their parents.
I feel this book is more oriented toward the parents of these kids, as Lancaster comes off more relatable to the generation of their parents. “Back off” might be the message I take away.
The teen characters in this book seemed real (minus their outdated lingo and obsession with the 1980s), and several grew and changed maybe more than one might actually expect to occur.
The character Mallory is given some scenes where she engages in one-in-one peer counseling at school. I’m not sure that schools would put teenagers in a counselor role to anywhere close to this extent, especially in a place with such a high teen suicide rate.