The Torn Skirt - by Rebecca Godfrey (Paperback)

About the Book

Desperate for guidance, for friendship, for some sign that she's not a freak of nature, Sara has a fleeting encounter with the mysterious Justine--the girl in the torn skirt. Already acclaimed in Canada for its raw intimacy and fresh, original voice, this is a daring debut that gives voice to the profound and universal experience of teenage isolation, desire, and despair.

Book Synopsis

From Rebecca Godfrey, author of UNDER THE BRIDGE - now streaming on Hulu, starring Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough - a fierce and tender portrait of two weeks in the life of a troubled teenager.

"The Torn Skirt is a hot book, a thrilling romance of teen rage and longing - like S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, except about girls." -- Mary Gaitskill, author of This is Pleasure and Bad Behavior

At Mt. Douglas (a.k.a. Mt. Drug) High, all the girls have feathered hair, and the sweet scent of Love's Baby Soft can't hide the musk of raw teenage anger, apathy, and desire. Sara Shaw is a girl full of fever and longing, a girl looking for something risky, something real. Her only possible salvation comes in the willowy form of the mysterious Justine, the outlaw girl in the torn skirt. The search for Justine will lead Sara on a daring odyssey into an underworld of hookers and johns, junkies and thieves, runaway girls and skater boys, and, ultimately, into a violent tragedy.

From the Back Cover

At Mt. Douglas (a.k.a. Mt. Drug) High, all the girls have feathered hair, and the sweet scent of Love's Baby Soft can't hide the musk of raw teenage anger, apathy, and desire. Sara Shaw is a girl full of fever and longing, a girl looking for something risky, something real. Her only possible salvation comes in the willowy form of the mysterious Justine, the outlaw girl in the torn skirt. The search for Justine will lead Sara on a daring odyssey into an underworld of hookers and johns, junkies and thieves, runaway girls and skater boys, and, ultimately, into a violent tragedy.

Review Quotes

"I loved and believed that narrative of a 16 year old mind--immature, abandoned and yet exploding. It came from a heartfelt and true perception, an authentic writers' desire. Which made it rock." -- Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth

"The Torn Skirt is a hot book, a thrilling romance of teen rage and longing -- like S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, except about girls." -- Mary Gaitskill, author of Two Girls, Fat and Thin

"The Torn Skirt inspired a range of rabid fans, from literary hipsters to renegade kids." -- Rolling Stone

"A serious bullet of a book....Godfrey constantly impresses with her precise eye and impassioned tone. A bright new voice." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"No one understands the teenage mind like Rebecca Godfrey. An no one can penetrate its darkest recesses with such insight and compassion." -- Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante's Handbook

"Captivating . . . Stark and bewitching . . . A voice that is fresh, disaffected and angst-ridden . . . Sara is afflicted with an overwhelming sense of compassion . . . Her world is a persuasive one, as malignant and addictive as a cigarette." -- New York Times Book Review

"A dizzying mix of hope and despair." -- Oregonian

"A wild, edgy ride...The Torn Skirt has enough drugs, parties, punks and criminal behavior to convince most mothers that locking their little darling in the upstairs bedroom is the safest way to go." -- Victoria Times-Colonist (Canada)

"[The] voice of the bad girls...[a] literary rebellion." -- Maclean's

"Unexpected, sharp as broken glass. She nails the dichotomy of teen fury and shoulder-shrugging apathy. A daunting debut that deserves notice...damn near pitch -perfect." -- Calgary Sun (Canada)