Testimony by Anita Shreve

My brother recently commented that people don't seem to think beyond the next minute. Although he was referring to shootings and other random acts of violence, "not thinking beyond the next minute" accurately sums up the theme of Testimony.

Testimony is set at a posh private school in Vermont. The student body is diverse. It's made up of not only very wealthy students, but scholarship students from local working class families.

A scandal erupts when a student turns in a videotape to the headmaster. The tape contains explicit sexual acts performed by several older male students and a 14 year old girl.

The headmaster foolishly decides that the matter is best handled internally. He does not go to the police. He further bungles the situation by coercing confessions from the boys.

The 14 year old girl seems to be a wordly adolescent who struggles with multiple issues. Several days after the incident, she declares that she has been raped.

Another theme is that actions have a ripple effect - many lives are touched by the scandal. Jobs are lost, college futures destroyed, and reputations are badly tarnished. Most tragically, a young life is lost.

Each chapter of Testimony is narrated by a different character. The differing viewpoints add bit by bit to the unfolding of the plot and help to explain what led to the incident and the resulting fallout.

I liked the narration by different characters. However, even minor players in the novel are given a voice and it is somewhat hard to keep track of everyone.

I also thought that the novel left some important questions unanswered. For example, who turned in the damning videotape and for what reason.

Despite these flaws, Testimony is a good read. It's a short novel that captures your attention from the first page and compels you to quickly read on to its sad conclusion.