"Do you know what it took for Socrates' enemies to make him stop pursuing the truth?" "Hemlock."
The fiercely competitive Mariana Academy was founded with a serious honor code; its reputation has been unsullied for decades. But now, a long-dormant secret society called Prisom's Party seems to have reemerged, threatening the school's placid halls with vigilante justice, exposing students and teachers alike for even the most minor infraction.
Iris Dupont, a budding journalist whose only confidant is the chain-smoking specter of Edward R. Murrow, feels sure she can break into the ranks of the Devil's Advocate, the Party's underground newspaper, and there uncover the source of its blackmail schemes and vilifying rumors. Some involve the school's new science teacher, who also seems to be investigating the Party. Others point to an albino student who left school abruptly ten years before, never to return. And everything connects to a rare book called Marvelous Species. But the truth comes with its own dangers, and Iris is torn between her allegiances, her reporter's instinct, and her own troubled past.
"Hysterical and moving, The Year of the Gadfly fuses Special Topics in Calamity Physics with Portnoy's Complaint for girls. This book is an imaginative delight."
Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story
"Part Dead Poets Society. Part Heathers. Entirely addictive…"
Glamour
"The author skillfully ratchets up the tension as Iris (and the reader) finds it harder and harder to tell who the good guys are... . A gripping thrill ride that's also a thoughtful coming-of-age story."
