A group of teenagers girls are obsessed with a pastors daughter. Then she goes missing.

Dizz Tate's debut novel is a dreamy, otherworldly narrative told through two elements: a chorus of 'we' and chapters from the perspective of each girl. Large chunks of this bought to mind The Virgin Suicides (the polyphonic chapters) but the flash forwards helped propel this into its own unique beast.

Tate is a wonderful writer and this is a very fine debut. I feel greater novels await her, but this is a strong beginning.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

A group of teenage girls are obsessed with the preacher's daughter. Then she goes missing.

Being a teenage girl is so succinctly summed up in this novel - the obsession, the wanting to do everything with your friends because you love being with them but also worry they'll turn on you if you spend a day apart, the self consciousness over your appearance, the feeling like you own your neighbourhood.

The voice in this was very unique, it uses a 'we' narrative for the girl gang and then when we flash into the future it switches to first person for each of the girls.

I was so enthralled by this book, I really liked the little flash-forwards to get a glimpse of the group as adults. It very much felt like a mix between The Virgin Suicides and Brown Girls.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber for the opportunity to review this book!

Brutes by Dizz Tate captures the group mentality of teenagers well but some parts of it did leave me feeling a bit confused as to what was going on.

There's something strangely hypnotic about the narrative here. "We, we, we" as the girls are one.
They're strange girls in a strange place, and there are odd goings on. It's all very unsettling.
I can't explain it, but I was pulled into this book, and I squirmed and frowned along the way.
It was creepy.
It was marvelous. ..

Falls Landing, Florida, is not as lovely as it seems.

Something lurks beneath the surface.

Preacher's daughter Sammy disappears...

And what do the gang of teenage girls know?