*WINNER OF A 2018 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL**WINNER OF AN ALEX AWARD FROM THE ALA* NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2017 BY St. Louis Post-Dispatch • BooklistA propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows—her father.Eleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her … frightening man she knows—her father.
Eleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, when she is unexpectedly reunited with her father, Nate, fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car. He takes her from the front of her school into a world of robbery, violence, and the constant threat of death. And he does it to save her life.
Nate made dangerous enemies in prison—a gang called Aryan Steel has put out a bounty on his head, counting on its members on the outside to finish him off. They’ve already murdered his ex-wife, Polly’s mother. And Polly is their next target.
Nate and Polly’s lives soon become a series of narrow misses, of evading the bad guys and the police, of sleepless nights in motels. Out on the lam, Polly is forced to grow up early: with barely any time to mourn her mother, she must learn how to take a punch and pull off a drug-house heist. She finds herself transforming from a shy little girl into a true fighter. Nate, in turn, learns what it’s like to love fiercely and unconditionally—a love he’s never quite felt before. But can their powerful bond transcend the dangerous existence he’s carved out for them? Will they ever be able to live an honest life, free of fear?
She Rides Shotgun is a gripping and emotionally wrenching novel that upends even our most long-held expectations about heroes, villains, and victims. Nate takes Polly to save her life, but in the end it may very well be Polly who saves him.
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There are some disturbing scenes, but could not put it down. Polly is the most frightening protagonist I have encountered in a very long time.
Love this book.
Great characterization. The author’s style reminded me of Salinger in Catcher In The Rye. A good twist to the end.
I thought the premise had promise, but I couldn’t stand how the author wrote Polly. i didn’t mind that she was odd and immature for her age, but even though she is supposed to be 11, she comes across as about 8 or 9 which is a huge difference in girl years and how those age groups behave. As a mom with a daughter, I couldn’t get past this. I kept thinking this guy must not have kids in middle school because at 11, Polly would have been in 6th or 7th grade and that is not how girls that age act, not even the ones that are different from the other kids. I don’t understand all the great reviews. If he had actually made her 8 or 9, I think I would have really been able to buy into the premise, but it bothered me that much!
This book is really really good. The story is great and so are the characters. Lots of action and held my interest. The only downfall is the word “like” is used way too much. It was very irritating.
The Coen Brothers need to adapt this book to film like yesterday! …but in the meantime, read it! It’s Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise, it’s dark and innocent and corrupt and redemptive. It’s full of contradictions that make you forget the line that divides the good and the bad. I loved it!
My favorite quote:
“The best thing you could do in this world was find the thing that jolted you the most and killed you the least and go after it hard.”