The Tragedy Paper

by Elizabeth LaBan

Every year at an exclusive private boarding school in New York state, the graduating students uphold an old tradition - they must swear an oath of secrecy and leave behind a "treasure" for each incoming senior.

When Duncan Meade inherits the room and secrets of Tim Macbeth, he uncovers evidence of a clandestine romance, and unravels the truth behind one of the biggest mysteries in the school's history.

How far would you go to keep a secret?

• ISBN10: 0552569097
• ISBN13: 9780552569095
• Publish Date: 1 August 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
• Imprint: Corgi Childrens
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

The Tragedy Paper is the BIG english paper each senior must submit at Irving, a small upstate NY boarding school. It is a project that looms over them from day one of senior year. Duncan began senior year dreading the ominous Tragedy Paper, he also dreaded his return to school because of the "game". Each year, the senior class has a chairman who is responsible for organizing a game to bring the senior class together. Last year's game went awry and Duncan has been carrying this guilt with him.

Another tradition of Irving Academy is for your room's prior occupant to leave a "treasure" for the new occupant. Duncan gets the LAST room he could possibly desire -- Tim's old room. Tim was one of the things that went awry with last year's game. But, the "treasure" Tim left for Duncan may be more valuable than gold in the long run.

I really enjoyed this book.
1. I never went to boarding school. It was interesting to get a peek into the lives of children who board.
2. I never knew an albino. I enjoyed learning a little more about people with this condition and problems they encounter.
3. I loved Tim and Vanessa. Their chance encounter at the airport and their layover, made me root for them. As the story unfolded, you learn that there is a lot more to Vanessa than meets the eye.
4. I liked how the story alternated between Tim and Duncan and how their lives were intertwined, but independent of each other. How, although Tim was albino, that did not define him -- he was just a regular boy like Duncan and they experienced many similar issues.

Pacing was good, the story was interesting. I was happy, I was sad, I was hopeful, I was relieved. Overall -- a great read.

[violetpeanut]

First of all, I have to comment on how "clean" this book is. There's no swearing, no sex, no law breaking. Well, no major law breaking, anyway. It was refreshing to read a book that is free from all of that but still feels authentic and honest. I think too many times authors try to write teens with lots of bad language and actions because they are trying to seem more relevant to their audience. In The Tragedy Paper, the story will feel relevant because of great characters, great plot, and great writing.

The book is written very well. The way the book was written - in scenes narrated and recorded by a main character - really reminded me of a movie. We open on one of the main characters, Duncan, arriving at The Irving School and looking to find which room he has been assigned to. In his room he finds a "treasure" left by the previous occupant. In this case, CD recordings left by Tim, an albino student involved in some kind of an incident last year. The book goes back and forth between Duncan in present day and Tim last year.

The pacing is perfect. The book starts of a little slowly with Duncan arriving at school and then Tim meeting Vanessa, giving the feeling of anticipation and a little bit of apprehension. As the plot moves along we become more comfortable - just as Tim does - but at the same time a little more anxious because we know that we're being lead to some kind of big event or revelation by Duncan's reactions.

I really loved the characters. I loved that they were "real" in that they were all flawed in some way. Tim views his entire life and everything he does through the slant of his albinism and has little confidence in himself. Vanessa is the popular pretty girl who has the popular boyfriend but she's the first person to treat Tim like a real person instead of some kind of a freak. Despite her attraction to him she strings him along, too afraid to give up her social status by being with Tim. Duncan is really innocent in everything that happens but has crippling guilt. Each character has good and bad traits.

I loved the author's description's of Tim's feelings about Vanessa. She really captures those first feelings of infatuation where every glance and touch have meaning.

...she would make eye contact, or touch my arm gently. It was so subtle, and she was so good at it, like a fairy swooping in or a raindrop finding its way into a small space.... I never knew when it would be, but I started to crave it.

I also loved the boarding school setting and all of the details that helped to round it out: the local ingredients used in the cafeteria, the treasure left by the residents of the rooms for next year's seniors to find, the hiding place in Duncan's room, the senior Game, Donut Day and so many other things. They all really made the setting real - and made me wish I went to that boarding school.

I read this quickly - in about a day - because I was excited to see what was going to happen and how things would end up. However, I think this book would be a great re-read as there are a lot of scenes and ideas here that I would love to explore in more detail. There are a lot of layers to this book. Duncan's life, Tim's life, the relationship between Tim and Vanessa and her manipulative behavior, the idea of a tragedy paper and how the book itself can be seen as it's own tragedy paper. This book can be read as just a story about a bunch of kids at a boarding school - or it can go much deeper.

My favorite read of 2013 - so far. I recommend it.