The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls (2013) by Anton Disclafani. It is 1930, the beginning of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, 15-year-old Thea Atwell has been cast out of the family home in Florida, sent to spend a year at the Yonahlossee Riding Camp. She is an expert rider, so sending her to the camp is not such a bad punishment, but she misses her twin brother, Sam. This is a coming-of-age book, and also a sexual-awakening book, and the story is told in a very sexy, entertaining way. Thea's life will never be the same, and slowly, in flashbacks, her previous life and the family tragedy that has caused her to be exiled come into focus. The book is quite a good read, and has a satisfying ending -- although it is not the ending you might expect, it is in retrospect inevitable. Grade: B+