Poisoned

Poisoned is a very traditional story with a very modern tone. There are three first-person voices who share alternating chapters. First there is Isabel. Then there is Duncan who begins a correspondence with Isabel when he finds a note written by her in a bottle washed up on the shore of the northern Scottish island which is his home. Finally, there is Macy, Isabel’s new best friend – or is she? All of the characters are in their final year at school. Both girls live in Manchester and hope to study drama at the NYT. This is the cue for references to several plays, in particular The Tempest and Medea, and a cue for characters to contextualise themselves with a parallel framework to both dramas. Isabel, however, doesn’t quite murder all round her when she finds Macy and Duncan in a clinch when they all meet up at the Edinburgh Festival. But she understands how Medea felt and the book ends with her asking readers what would they do? Forget about them both or make up with Duncan and forgive Macy?

Most young readers are likely to enjoy the confiding tone of the narrators. It gives a self-conscious and knowing tone to the voices, especially the girls, and fits with the very contemporary jargon and attitudes of the characters. But, like its characters, Poisoned has depths underneath the surface sheen and this makes for a satisfying and enjoyable read.