History Lesson For Girls
Aurelie Sheehan
Reviewed by Michelle Boucher-Ladd
The novel History Lesson For Girls, by Aurelie Sheehan, now out in
paperback is a must read for book clubs everywhere. I don’t think that
I have read a novel that naturally lends itself to more discussion then
this one does. To start with it is a horrible story but then again
isn’t most history?
The story line follows the friendship of two teenage girls named Alison
and Kate in the Bicentennial year of 1976. Alison, who is the daughter
of a Poet/Professor father, and a struggling artist mother, suffers
from Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, which mandates she wear a
back brace. Being new to town she has trouble fitting in at school. Her
one enjoyment is riding her horse named Jazz, which is where she meets
Kate Hamilton who also loves to ride. Kate’s father is a guru named Tut
(after the Egyptian King) and her mother is a materialistic drug
addict. Kate is very popular in school and the dual seem to be an
unlikely match. However, their shared love of horses, adventure,
disdain for authority, and a history assignment bring them close
together.
Aurelie Sheehan’s depiction of the 1970’s is amazing. From clothes and
hairstyles, home décor, free thinking spiritualism, to drugs and
open marriages she really nails it. This is a crazy good kind of
writing that makes you really feel like you are there. Just when you
begin to remember how good Sunny and Cher really were and can relate to
these two teenagers the story takes a few dark twists. Which brings me
back to my point about this novel being a horrible story.
Not that I want to give away the ending or anything - it just doesn’t
end the way you think it should. That’s what makes it such a good book
club choice. It is the type of book you can’t stop thinking about
months after you have read it. You can use it to discuss a number of
things like abuse, family legacies, and history. History Lesson For
Girls is a very well written novel that will really bother you . It is
horrible in a mind expanding good way.