Popularity is an interesting thing. In the world of high school, some girls are popular because they have money. Some girls are popular for sports. Others are popular for academics. And some, like Bridget Duke, are popular because others refuse to stand up against them. Bridget has always been one of the most popular, and one of the meanest, girls in her school. She throws the best parties, wears the best clothes, and seems to be at the top of her school’s heirarchy.
Then one day, Anna Judge comes to school. Anna’s popularity comes from being purely nice to those around her. Bridget is threatened by the attention that Anna is getting, and her façade quickly begins to break down and the cracks begin to show. In a last effort to show everyone how wrong they are for pushing her to the side, Bridget intentionally wrecks her car, expecting to die and leaving everyone behind feeling guilty for not showing her the deference she feels she deserves.
Instead, she wakes up in a boardroom with Anna and the friends and family she has so callously pushed aside in her effort to be at the top. Bridget must then step into each person’s shoes to learn how her actions have impacted those around her.
As I started reading Here Lies Bridget, I had flashbacks of reading Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall. Similar in content, both deal with self-centered teens who have each come to believe the world revolves around herself. However, Paige Harbison takes a slightly different approach. Instead of having the main character relive the day over and over and have her figure out how she has wronged those around her on her own, Bridget is given the opportunity to see how her self-serving actions have impacted those around her. She gets to see her actions through their eyes, showing her how her flippant comments and inconsiderate actions impact each of them.
I do have to say that I liked this story, even with its similarities to Oliver’s tale (which I also liked). Maybe it was because of them. Like Oliver, Harbison doesn’t try to make Bridget likeable, because the reality is her actions are completely inexcusable. She has no consideration for others and is at times even cruel in her remarks and actions. However, even with the similar story line, there was enough difference to keep me from feeling like I was just reading a knock-off version of the same story.
Harbison also takes a different path to the end of her novel. It is one that I prefer, truth be told.
So, does Bridget change? Does she end her life the same way she lived it? Or does she see the error of her ways?
Read it to find out. It is certainly worth it.
