Ponder: This Is Our Story

After reading First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston last month and giving it five stars I wanted to read another one of her books. I followed a few weeks later with The Lying Tree, also awarding it five stars in my review. I later learned that The Lying Tree was a young adult novel and First Lie Wins was the author's first venture into adult fiction.  This is Our Story by Ashley Elston ©2016 is another young adult novel of Elston's which I sought out to better understand the distinctive features that make up the YA book genre.

Per Wikipedia's description of Young Adult Literature

Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. Stories that focus on the challenges of youth may be further categorized as social or coming-of-age novels. The earliest known use of term young adult occurred in 1942. The designation of young adult literature was originally developed by librarians to help teenagers make the transition between children's literature and adult literature, following the recognition, around World War II, of teenagers as a distinct group of young people. While the genre is targeted at adolescents, a 2012 study found that 55% of young adult literature purchases were made by adults.

The main characters of young adult novels may be teenagers but the conflicts and dilemmas are mature enough to engage an adult reader. In This Is Our Story, five teenage boys go deer hunting and one of them is killed by a rifle shot. Is it an accident or was it murder? The remaining boys have a tacit vow to remain banded together, stick with the same story, and claim ignorance. The boys come from wealthy, influential families, so justice is at risk of being compromised to curry money and/or favor among officials. The perspective of the narrator is unique. She is a high school senior who works in the district attorney's office and sees files of evidence compiled on the case. There are interspersed chapters as commentary, written by one of the surviving boys... maybe... perhaps... the killer? Teen angst and cliques are evident, hence the YA genre. This Is Our Story was a convoluted, but engaging read.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience