This dark tale of a high school girl's coming of age in modern suburbia is "an electrifying portrayal of adolescent angst" from the author of Bongwater (Booklist).

Downers Groveis the haunting and tender story of Chrissie Swanson, a high school senior for whom graduating has become a matter of life or death. She's an unusual girl in an ordinary town. But when jocks are out to destroy her life in increasingly unsettling ways, and her high school seems to be cursed with a series of untimely deaths, you can't blame her for being a little paranoid. Meanwhile, her mother's sex life is overshadowing her own; her brother never leaves the basement; and her best friend Tracy is hornier than a Prince song-all of which leaves her eccentric grandmother as the only source of wisdom in a rapid downward spiral.

As Chrissie tries to take control of the events that shape her life, she finds the events taking control of her, until she is finally cornered by choices with everlasting consequences. Full of humor, wit, and the sacrilegious worldview of a savvy teenager,Downers Grovepaints a searing portrait of the American dream in all its broken glory.

Michael Hornburg is the author of Bongwater, which was published in seven countries and made into an independent film. He lives in New York City, where he is currently working on the screenplay of Downers Grove for Miramax Films.