The Beckoners

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

Winner of the 2005 Arthur Ellis Best Juvenile Book Award, Mac’s first
novel examines the topic du jour, teen violence.

Zoe Anderson, 15, faces a new school warily, alert to the hazards she
has experienced before as a newcomer. Inadvertently trapped by her own
ego, she becomes part of a violent and powerful “girly gang” called
the Beckoners. Her bizarre initiation is branding with a red-hot fork.

Simon, a gay boy who befriends Zoe, warns her about the Beckoners,
provides her with some essential school survival information, and tells
her to avoid the gang’s primary target, friendless, nondescript April,
known as “Dog.” Witnessing the vicious brutality the gang inflicts
on April convinces Zoe to distance herself from the gang; however, the
Beckoners respond with scorn, threats, and a painful uninitiation rite
that results in 30 stitches. April’s ultimate attempt at revenge
triggers an unspeakably brutal beating from the ruthless Beckoners and
precipitates a compelling conclusion.

Mac’s gripping third-person narrative of teen dynamics resonates with
emotional depth and provides an intense reading experience. Zoe is an
appealing and well-developed heroine who illustrates the dichotomy faced
by many young people—their need to belong and their personal morality.
Well-drawn secondary characters amplify the themes and add to the
tension, with the exception of self-absorbed adults who provide little
support for the troubled teens. Vibrant prose, crisp and contemporary
dialogue, and taut structuring contribute to a briskly paced narrative
rife with aberrant behaviours, graphic language, and haunting scenes of
violence, yet tempered by passages reflecting normalcy, compassion, and
hope. Highly recommended.