Testify

January 24, 2011
Sherrard (Watcher) pens a suspenseful if sometimes didactic story about the risks of drug use. Fifteen-year-old Lexie Malton has a clean record, a kind boyfriend, and a normal life—aside from still being entangled with Devlin, her now-homeless ex-boyfriend who's a heroin addict. "I wonder if I might have imagined the times, not so very long ago, when it seemed those same eyes saw things in me that no one else ever had," Lexie laments. Devlin constantly pesters her for money; she capitulates because she feels responsible for his addiction. Things seem to be moving in a positive direction when Devlin enters rehab, but he is soon back on the street and forcing Lexie, at knifepoint, to help him, leading to tragic consequences for both. The story is an adrenaline rush, full of action, flashbacks, and raw emotions. However, it can't quite escape a cautionary tone ("I learn that there is nothing he won't say, no emotion he won't use, no threat he won't make, to get what his body craves"), and the accelerated pace leaves secondary characters feeling underdeveloped. Ages 12–up.