13 Minutes

I can't decide whether to give this two or three stars. I hated it at first, and made peace with hating it, but despite my best efforts I became more and more wrapped up in the story.

It's always easier for me to read troubled characters when they internalize, versus characters who view everyone around them with vitriol. It just seems unrealistic and exhausting to hate everyone that much. Who has the time and energy for it?

13 Minutes paints teenage girls as shallow and cruel. I get that it means to do so. I get that that's the point. But I still find it draining to read. The constant social comparisons, the callous remarks about sex and disordered eating and weight, the “not like other girls”-ing. They deliberately try to hurt one another, and delight whenever they succeed. They're all miserable and mean. I hate it.

I think Pinborough could have written antagonistic teenage girl characters without leaning into stale tropes and stereotypes. I understood that she was trying to add darkness and complexity, but she did so in such a predictable and disheartening way.

However, 13 Minutes still drew me in. I got swept up in the story and wanted to see it through. I enjoyed it more than most other thrillers I've read. I think I'm starting to get the appeal.