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The Torn Skirt: A Novel Kindle Edition
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.
“I loved and believed the narrative of a sixteen-year-old mind—immature, abandoned, and yet exploding. It came from a heartfelt and true perception, an authentic writer’s desire. Which made it rock.” —Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth
“Imagine William S. Burroughs with a social conscience . . . An exhilarating, surreal, and dreamlike trip through the passionate teenage heart.” —The Globe and Mail
“Teenage angst gets a surprisingly honest and effective rendering from a bright new voice . . . Giving witness yet again to the self-created drama of adolescence: a serious bullet of a book.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Godfrey’s prose is atmospheric, rhythmic, and filled with spot-on details . . . This first novel is at its best when sharply observing teenage disgust with adult behavior and the roots of young women’s rage.” —Booklist
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperCollins e-books
- Publication dateMay 4, 2010
- File size2.8 MB
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From Publishers Weekly
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From School Library Journal
Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
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Lisa Nussbaum, Dauphin Cty. P.L., Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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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.
About the Author
Rebecca Godfrey is a novelist and non-fiction writer. She is also a writing mentor with the Creative Nonfiction mentoring program. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, to writers Dave Godfrey and Ellen Godfrey. As a child she relocated with her family to Victoria, British Columbia.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Torn Skirt
A NovelBy Rebecca GodfreyHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2008 Rebecca GodfreyAll right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061567100
Chapter One
Blame it on the Pleasure Family. Blame it on the Vietnam War. Blame it on a lot of things. But don't blame it on Justine. She was just a weak, scared girl; a lost, violent girl. A lot of things, she was. Was.
Or don't blame it on anything. Call it inevitable, call it the doomed fate of love. Call it karmic, fucked up, the dance of the wolves. Live it, love it, call it life. Call it Led Zeppelin. Yeah, yeah. Really, I don't really, really don't fucking care.
I was born with a fever, but it seemed to subside for sixteen years. High school, I was a good girl. I was pretty, I smiled, I fit in fine. And then as I turned sixteen and stopped smiling, the fever returned, though my skin stayed pale and sure, showing no sign of the heat inside me. 102 degrees, it returned for no reason. It returned around the time I met Justine, but blame it on her bad influence and you'd be all wrong.
I come out into the kitchen, have my little chat with the cop. Unsmiling, I get to him. I'm sure of it. All the teen girls on this hick island have flipped-back Farrah Fawcett hair, willing-to-please eyes shadowed in baby blue. Me, in my little shredded dress and desecrated eyes. I don't shock him, but I'm not what he hoped for. He writes something in his pad.
Teenage Girl. Angst-Ridden. Badly Dyed Hair.
The cop, thirty or so, with a mustache and the dullest eyes, doesn't ask about Justine. He asks what time I expect my mother back.
"Is that relevant to the case?"
"Relevant? That's a big word for a little girl."
Suddenly, I'm nauseous. I'm reeling. I'm realizing all the things I don't have words for. The world for him a pad of dates, names, serial numbers, license plates. He'd need a soundtrack for his report, a rush of images: her legs alone, her legs kicking backwards, the slit of her skirt ripping as she ran, her legs like wishbones.
Some more notes in his pad now; I imagine them.
Single-Parent Family. Headed by Father. That Crazy Diehard Hippie.
And get this: the cop is checking me out. I thought the sight of me might disgust him, but I should have known. just because I'm soft-skinned and sixteen, they get this sick, weak look. Speed kicking in, not making me mellow, lazy, hazy, and high. Making me violent and blue, restless and aware of all the things I've got to do. All the things I've got to do.
"Touch my forehead," I tell him.
He does this, with little hesitation.
"You're hot."
"Yeah, I seem to be coming down with a bit of a fever."
"Maybe you should lie down and we can talk in your room."
"This whole thing has been very disturbing for me."
"I'm sure it has been," he says. "Disturbing, that's a good word."
He stands up. Moves toward me.
"I have a fever," I tell him. "You'd better stay away."
I head for my bedroom, and hear him walking away past the marijuana plants that line my father's shelves.
He's left my house and gone to jerk off, I bet. Jerk off in the front seat of his cruiser. I'm in my bedroom and he's imagining me here. A little girlyworld of Maybelline and heartthrobs Scotch-taped above pink pillows. Really, it's a bare room of white walls and Justine's books and skirts scattered all over the floor.
I try to sleep, but sleep's not easy when you're on speed. I guess the cop never left because now he's knocking on my door. I ask him to leave; I tell him I'm too hot to talk. Fuck. He says we must, but I won't. Just laughing at the thought of him banging down the bedroom door of a teenage girl. He imagines it pink and soft. He has no idea.
In The Bushes With The Burnout Boys
I guess all this shit started when I was in the bush. I loved the bush. Behind our school, it was like some tangled, rising creature, hands reaching skyward; a thousand savage, skinny fingers. Evergreens and Scotch pines twisting with blackberry bushes and dead oaks. Mornings before school, I used to head into it with my stupid Swiss Army knife. Hack and chop a path leading into a clearing. And at lunch hour, I'd bring the burnout boys in.
I'm not making this up: the burnout boys all had one-syllable names: Bryce, Bruce, Dean, and Dale. They were only a bit wayward, but they thought they were real rebels. Bragging as they brought out their plastic baggies of mushrooms and weed.
May: the bush was rainsoaked; we were whacked around as we went in. I lifted branches back, holding them so the burnouts could enter. We sat on the ground, in a dry place, hidden from the concrete slab of our school. Here, the mountains faded from view. The blue sky went white.
It began to rain again, the pale, common May rain. I sat down on the dirt, lay back with my hair on a broad, mossy rock. The air smelled great at this moment -- it smelled like rot and rain and Christmas.
Bryce drove his red pickup truck to the bush and opened the front door. Twelve o'clock: the Power Hour. Burnouts loved the Power Hour. Heaven. For them. They know every word. They sang along, pretending guitars were in their hands. They sang the Lemon Song to me.
Squeeze me baby so the juice runs down my leg.
My father used to say his generation fucked up in a lot of ways, but at least they invented rock and roll...
Continues...
Excerpted from The Torn Skirtby Rebecca Godfrey Copyright © 2008 by Rebecca Godfrey. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- ASIN : B003H4I52G
- Publisher : HarperCollins e-books; Reissue edition (May 4, 2010)
- Publication date : May 4, 2010
- Language : English
- File size : 2.8 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 215 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #389,271 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,222 in Coming of Age Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,630 in Psychological Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,652 in Women's Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book compelling and interesting. They describe it as an easy, immersive read with lyrical yet unflinching prose. Readers appreciate the relatable storytelling and themes of alienation, self-discovery, and the search for belonging.
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Customers find the book's pacing engaging. They describe it as a fun and thought-provoking read that explores themes of alienation, self-discovery, and belonging.
"The Torn Skirt" by Rebecca Godfrey is a compelling and provocative novel that delves deep into the complexities of adolescence, identity, and desire...." Read more
"Fun read. The first 2\3 style is hard to get into but the story is nice. I would recommend this for 15+ only" Read more
"...Sara's journey throught this book is definitely trying and kept my interest. I definitely reccomend it." Read more
"I absolutely love having this book, I had it stolen form me and I am so happy. Quick delivery, couldn't be any happier." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's written like a diary from a first-person perspective. The prose is lyrical yet unflinching, capturing the intensity of Sara's emotions.
"...Godfrey's prose is lyrical yet unflinching, capturing the intensity of Sara's emotions and experiences with sensitivity and insight...." Read more
"...It's written very much like a diary, told from a first person's point of view...." Read more
"Easy read..." Read more
"great read..." Read more
Customers find the storytelling relatable and masterful. They describe the narrative as riveting and thought-provoking, exploring themes of alienation, self-discovery, and the search for belonging. The story is told from a first-person perspective and invites readers to contemplate their own journeys.
"...Rebecca Godfrey's masterful storytelling and nuanced portrayal of adolescence make this novel a compelling choice for readers interested in literary..." Read more
"...It's written very much like a diary, told from a first person's point of view...." Read more
"Fun read. The first 2\3 style is hard to get into but the story is nice. I would recommend this for 15+ only" Read more
"This is a riveting story beginning with the implausible statement: 'I was born with a fever'...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024The Torn Skirt" by Rebecca Godfrey is a compelling and provocative novel that delves deep into the complexities of adolescence, identity, and desire. Set against the backdrop of New York City's gritty urban landscape, the story follows Sara Shaw, a rebellious and introspective teenager grappling with the challenges of growing up in a dysfunctional family.
Godfrey's writing is evocative and raw, painting a vivid picture of Sara's inner turmoil and the harsh realities she faces. The narrative explores themes of alienation, self-discovery, and the search for belonging, as Sara navigates through troubled relationships and explores her burgeoning sexuality.
The character development in "The Torn Skirt" is particularly noteworthy. Sara is a complex protagonist whose vulnerabilities and flaws are laid bare, making her journey of self-acceptance and personal growth both poignant and relatable. The supporting characters, from Sara's troubled mother to the enigmatic Angel, add layers of depth to the story, reflecting different facets of Sara's tumultuous world.
Godfrey's prose is lyrical yet unflinching, capturing the intensity of Sara's emotions and experiences with sensitivity and insight. The novel's exploration of desire and the quest for authenticity is thought-provoking, inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of human relationships and the impact of societal expectations.
Overall, "The Torn Skirt" is a thought-provoking and immersive read that resonates long after the final page. Rebecca Godfrey's masterful storytelling and nuanced portrayal of adolescence make this novel a compelling choice for readers interested in literary fiction that explores the intricacies of identity and the search for meaning in a turbulent world.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2008I'm 27, about ten years older than most of the characters in this book. I feel as though it would be much more relevant to someone in their mid-late teens, but I still throughly enjoyed it. I imagine that this would be a "cool" book to be reading if I were still in high school, going on an adventure with the protagonist, Sara, as she goes out into the world and loses a lot of her "innocence". I will admit that, while the book does seem like a noble and accurate portrayal of what it's like to be a misfit, the essence of growing up during adolescence. Very little if any of this stuff happened to me personally... but it was still quite powerful.
It's written very much like a diary, told from a first person's point of view. It's a subtle reminder that some misguided youths face these sorts of things everyday. Some by choice, some not by choice. And nothing bad has to happen to someone in order for them to travel down this path. Sara has a loving father, she herself doesn't start out as a rampant, promiscuous, drug addict. She meets characters along the way and gets thrown into this world overnight... perhaps as a means of finding herself.
An easy read, a page turner. I'd recommend this book to just about anyone.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016Fun read. The first 2\3 style is hard to get into but the story is nice. I would recommend this for 15+ only
- Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2015This is a riveting story beginning with the implausible statement: 'I was born with a fever'. The narrator never explains what this actually means, only that she has blackouts or dizzy spells, like some form of drug-induced hallucinations, that seem to give her either an escape from stress or some kind of insight. Sara develops a weird (but understandable) fascination with Justine, a rag-tag waif in a torn skirt whose aplomb and confidence inspire her to change her own life. The two proceed to wreak some havoc on their associates and on the whole town (Victoria, BC) before a fateful party reintroduces Sara to one of their victims, with whom she must make a major decision that changes the whole point and direction of her life. It's only then that you realise what this girl is really made of, though you've been pulling for her all along.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024happy
- Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2007This isn't the type of book that leaves you with a happy feeling at the end of it. Despite that, I still enjoyed this book. Sara's journey throught this book is definitely trying and kept my interest. I definitely reccomend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2013I absolutely love having this book, I had it stolen form me and I am so happy. Quick delivery, couldn't be any happier.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2013I purchased this book because of all the hype surrounding it. Lesson learned! Its kind of all over the place and maintains an obsession with this girl named Justine. It has no focus point and is way to unorganized.
Top reviews from other countries
- christopher baxterReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Its a very good read
- LJBentleyReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2015
1.0 out of 5 stars I did not like this book
The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey is about teenager Sarah Shaw and how she manages to ruin her life in one week. That seems a fairly simple explanation but to be honest I couldn’t even begin to describe the intricacies of this story. It is too complex and not in a good way.
The book felt very contrived. It has been written with the intent to be as controversial as possible. It includes knife fights, family communes, teenage prostitution, juvenile delinquency, masturbation, drugs and attempted murder. Ok, a lot of books have these issues in them. My problem is that it all comes out of nowhere. There is no plausible reason why Sarah Shaw suddenly starts acting in the way she does. There is no build up to it. It just seems to happen rather instantly.
As a reader, I don’t need all the answers however The Torn Skirt has ambiguous an implausible roots that I just couldn’t understand or like it. This is one that I wish I had left at the very bottom of my TBR pile.
The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey is available now.