Clean

Through the alternating perspectives of five very different protagonists, the author explores the lives of teenagers in a rehabilitation center and the factors driving their addiction. Readers will find their back stories fairly scripted: Jason is an alcoholic with an abusive father and guilt over an accident that left his younger sister brain damaged; rich Olivia's diet pill addiction was driven by her quest for perfection%E2%80%94and her mother who "decided that fourteen was too old for baby fat." The teens write personal essays, attend group therapy sessions, and become friends as they face their pain and the hard truths about their disease. "It is a permanent chapter in my story, something I cannot undo, a page I cannot rip out," says Kelly, the "pretty girl" addicted to alcohol and cocaine. Reed (Beautiful) delivers some emotional and smart insights, but the book's more dramatic moments, such as Jason's father's bullying behavior during Family Day, lack credibility. The use of multiple narrators results in a briskly paced, vignette-driven story that suits the frenetic lives of the teens, but prevents the characters from feeling fully developed as individuals. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. (Aug.)