I Am Margaret Moore

August 1, 2021
A young woman, betrayed by the boy she loves, wrestles with the aftermath in this haunting tale. Margaret Moore has attended Marshall Summer Naval School in the Great Lakes region for years, forming close friendships with three other girls there--outspoken Rose and Nisreen and Flor, who are a couple. Their long-lasting bonds have allowed them to truly be themselves around one another. However, Margaret has hidden from them her relationship with a boy, and from this omission springs a complicated, heavily atmospheric story of tragedy, secrets, and loyalty that moves through time, ranging from the 1950s to the present day and weaving in and out of realism. Told in three parts--Naiad, Subimago, and Imago, alluding to the growth cycle of the mayflies so prevalent in the camp's remote, wooded, lake location--Margaret's story is both heartbreaking and enraging; the particulars of power, status, and patriarchy that are at play are all too familiar, and their impact on Margaret's life will be deeply felt. An eerie, almost dreamy lyricism resonates throughout, and repeated phrases lend a fairy-tale-like feel to this novel that is further segmented by frequent subheadings. Readers with an appreciation for the psychologically dark will enjoy the lushly developed sense of foreboding even as the twisting and turning plot is at times elusive. Margaret and Rose read as White; Nisreen is from Jordan, and Flor is from Venezuela. A fierce, chilling, winding mystery. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)

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September 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Margaret Moore and her friends Flor, Nisreen, and Rose attend the Marshall Summer Naval School every summer. They are inseparable until the summer Margaret falls in love with a boy also attending Marshall. That summer, Margaret sneaks out of their dorm after curfew again and again to meet him. Toward the end of the summer, an incident occurs that pulls Margaret away from her friends, and she isn't even allowed to say good-bye. She is back the following year to tell her friends what happened, but since, the boy that she loved drowned in the lake near the summer camp. Her friends start to disappear one at a time. This story is a complex contemporary thriller with poetic undertones. The insect motif at a summer camp seems quite normal initially as many summer camps involve pesky insects. However, Capin is very deliberate in using the mayfly and the dragonfly over and over in her story, and even names the parts of her book after the growth stages of these insects. Both of the creatures live tragic lives which sets the tone for Margaret's tragedy. There are many times through the first half that the author's purpose is obvious in the text. Once Margaret's circumstances have been revealed, readers might find themselves going back to the beginning of her story with a new perspective. Beautifully written and haunting, this will definitely appeal to those who enjoy a good mystery. VERDICT An enjoyable addition to any library's mystery/thriller collection.-Jeni Tahaney, Summit H.S., Manfield, TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 31, 2022
Lyrical writing distinguishes this haunting summer camp thriller as an enthralling literary mystery with crossover appeal. A thousand girls from all over the world, ages nine to 18, attend the Marshall Summer Naval School. On the shore of Lake Nanweshmot, the campers learn to sail, play tennis, ride horses, and practice semaphore. Margaret Moore, who reads as white, narrates as her three best friends—general’s daughter Flor Gómez, who is Venezuelan; Jordanian Nisreen Al-Shayab; and presumed-white Rose Winston—arrive at camp. After eight summers together, they have become a family. But dreamy Mar, who “falls in love too fast” and reads Emily Dickinson (whose poems appear throughout), has dark secrets concerning “a boy from Naval One,” which will change things for all of them. Via Mar’s urgent voice, intimate with the history of shared girlhoods and betrayal, Capin (Foul Is Fair) reveals over three sections the previous summer’s events, elevating plot twists that contribute mystery and terror to this ingenious story about misogyny and power dynamics. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Co.

February 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 At the summertime Marshall Naval School, loyalty to one's Deck is all there is, and the girls of Deck Five are even more loyal than most. Last summer, Margaret knows, she betrayed the trust of the three girls who mean everything to her, and this summer all she wants to do is make things right. But though Nisreen, Flor, and Rose return bearing a love for Margaret, and one another, that's as fierce as ever, Margaret finds herself trapped in the memories of the previous summer, fixating on the boy she thought she loved and the whispers that now follow her everywhere. As the storm builds and comes for her friends, Margaret begins to wonder just how irrevocably the events of last summer changed her--and if she deserves redemption or oblivion. Capin rests this novel squarely on Margaret's haunted, increasingly anguished voice, building a narrative that purposely perplexes and offers as many questions as it answers. For readers of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars (2014), this darkly compelling mystery will hit home.

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