Burning Girl

by Ben Neihart

Drew Burke is twenty--a working-class college student in Baltimore. Seduced by the wealth that surrounds him, Drew finds himself drawn into a complex and sensually charged friendship with Bahar Richards and her brother, Jake. Then, over an intimate long weekend at the Richards family home, certain shocking details about Jake's past come to light, and the more Drew learns, the more he suspects he hasn't heard the whole story. Torn between brother and sister, whose versions of the past don't quite match, Drew becomes caught in a maze of half-lies and manipulations as he tries to figure out who to trust, and, ultimately, who to love.

A young scholarship student, the rich girl who befriends him, her handsome brother who wedges himself dangerously between the two; a rape, a murder, horrifying photographs found at the crime scene; and the undeniably sensual draw our hero feels to both sister and brother, who may or may not have blood on their hands. Fresh from the success of his critically acclaimed debut, Hey, Joe, Ben Neihart delivers a searingly intelligent, emotionally gripping thriller with a triangle of betrayal at its heart.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[gabrielle v · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly fun

[Tova Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dialogue felt weird and stilted, but the second half of the book was pretty fun. A bit repetitive.

[Donald Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the descriptions provided by the author. They were always very apt to the action and thought processes of the characters. The overall plot became much more psychological as the story progressed and although I enjoyed the character development in the beginning of the novel, the mystery of who was where when the girl is killed and everyone's relationship to her and each other and the actions of a particular night became a bit overkill at times. It would have been nice to see the character development continued in other secondary aspects of life. Nonetheless, the novel exhibited fine writing and Ben Neihart has great skill in his descriptive powers.

[DumDum · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book (hard cover no less) because it was on the Powell's "employee picks shelf" and I liked the cover. Maybe just a little bit because "gay" was mentioned in the employee's review. STUUUUUUUUUU-PIIIIIIIIIIID. The one good thing was that it was a quick read. I hate bad books that sell just because they appeal towards a certain audience's preference. Just because a book has a "gay" theme doesn't mean I have to like it. Just as a "golf" book doesn't have to appeal to all golfers, or a "romance novel" to all heterosexuals. If a book is crap it's crap.

[Joey Hook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting maze of a mystery, and I found myself interested in the main character, Drew. The tension between Drew and his boyfriend Jake was intriguing, and you'll never hear me say this, but I enjoyed his chemistry and interaction with Jake's sister, Bahar, more than his interaction with Jake.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the dialogue. It was stilted and awkward, and I found it difficult to follow at some points. Overall, it was a good book, short and to the point with an abrupt ending that sort of answers all your questions.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

i found some inconsistencies in style, tone, pacing, and narrative in this work..though there were some sections in which the style was so strong, clever, and just beautiful. the dialogue was unreal, but always interesting...minus the last 20% or so of the book. drew was such a delightful character, even if a bit anti-hero, and then neihart just ruined him by making him such a whiner! how sad..plus i didn't really understand the point of the book - but maybe that's my fault.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this book good?

No.

Do the characters talk like Bret Easton Ellis characters on steroids?

Yes.

Did I have no idea, geographically, where any of the action was taking place?

Yes.

Did I almost DNF it at the halfway point?

Yes.

Did I have a great time and am I glad I ultimately stuck it through?

Yes.

The fact that I've given much better books three stars but this book four is probably a travesty but I'm also not sorry.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

not great, but entertaining

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought this was kind of weird. Dialog hard to follow, and fairly predictable ending. Some interesting twists, though.

[Brittany Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was trying to be something. It failed. Not terrible as a whole in the entire realm of books but pretty terrible in the realm of good books.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had potential, but somewhere me and the story parted ways. Felt as if I might have skipped a page, but sadly no.

[Emily Mink · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad, boring, one dimensional characters, word choice between characters is cringey and a choice. Almost DNF