Under the Bridge - by Rebecca Godfrey (Paperback)

About the Book

"One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home ... Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls--and boy--accused of a savage murder"--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

"A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times." --Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home.In this "tour de force of crime reportage" (Kirkus Reviews), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls--and boy--accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.

Review Quotes

"Dreamy, mysterious and ultimately terrifying.... It does something to you." - Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me A brilliant, compassionate retelling of a horrific murder." -O, the Oprah Magazine "Intelligent . . . insightful . . . will be remembered for years." -Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita "Both tragic and cathartic." -The New York Times "Lipstick, platform shoes, and braces have never felt more menacing. The book reads like a breezy bestseller, but it's Godfrey's in-depth reporting that gets under your skin." -GQ "A modern day Crime and Punishment that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A stunning book that manages to terrify and enlighten at the same time. I reread it on a regular basis to remind myself what the best, most empathetic crime journalist can be like." -Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success "In this groundbreaking book, Rebecca Godfrey writes with insight and compassion about a startling teens-on-teen crime that prefigures Parkland, Columbine, and Slenderman. She unspools a story that feels only too relevant today - an outsider yearning to fit in, a Queen Bee holding onto her crown, and an unfortunate misfit in the wrong place at the wrong time. A revelation for any lover of teen crime..." - Stephanie Savage, Co-Creator, Gossip Girl, Marvel's Runaways "Godfrey, who mixes novelistic suspense with a journalist's key eye for detail, does a terrific job of presenting the facts and letting readers decide how to judge the accused." - Bustle "A tour-de-force of true crime reportage. Godfrey reconstructs a horrific murder with a vividness found in the finest fiction, without ever sacrificing journalistic integrity." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Both tragic and cathartic." - The New York Times "Godfrey skillfully blends hard-nosed journalism with a literary lyricism that far and away transcends that of her true-crime colleagues." - Elle.com "Offers an insightful perspective into the challenging, disturbing pressures of adolescent life in the 21st century. A must-read for parents and educators." - The Daily News "An intelligent, insightful book that will be remembered for years." - The Baltimore Sun "Will keep anybody with a brain and a heart reading into the night." - Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) "Hypnotic, obsessive, wonderfully transformative." - John Guare, author of Six Degrees of Separation "Under the Bridge is a fine piece of reportage and a shocking rendering of the tragic end of one young life and the dark and sinister beginnings of others. Godfrey writes with stinging insight and an urgency that moves the story from teenage hush and whisper to the reality of the coroner's office and sad, fatigued cops. The prin-cipals are all victims-of schools and communities and families that don't care-and perpetrators-harming one another and themselves in this startling fall from innocence." - Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead "A skilled and emotionally compelling investigation into the dark heart of adolescent society, both in isolation and in the context of our culture. Godfrey . . . combines a storyteller's skills with a journalist's keen eye for detail to create a complex interwoven narrative of the events that is at once intimate and detached... A keen-edged and heart-rending account." - The National Post (Canada) "Godfrey's portraits are complex and unsentimental... A homicide is best told as a story, and this marvelous book makes this very clear." - The Globe and Mail (Canada) "Easily one of the most harrowing non-fiction books of the year... Godfrey cannily shifts perspectives, which allows for insights not only into the legalities of the case but also into the minds of the teens involved. This is a dark ride." - The Vancouver Sun (British Columbia) "Haunting... phenomenal cinematic raw material." - The Hollywood Reporter "Under the Bridge is a prodigiously researched and care-fully observed account of a senseless murder and its aftermath. Rebecca Godfrey brings a symp

About the Author

Rebecca Godfrey (1967-2022) was an award-winning novelist and journalist. Her books include The Torn Skirt, finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; the award-winning true crime story Under the Bridge, the inspiration behind a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough as Rebecca Godfrey; and her final novel Peggy, a fictionalized account of Peggy Guggenheim's coming of age. Godfrey earned her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and taught writing at Columbia University. She lived with her husband and daughter in upstate New York.