Bullying

McFadden argues in her novel that bullying does not necessarily end with childhood and that adult bullies can be just as destructive as children. As teenagers, Natalie and Tara bullied Mia to the point that she died by suicide. Santoro tells Natalie that he does not blame the children who bullied him when he was a child, but believes there is a point at which a person should realize bullying is wrong. There is outrage when the police read Dawn’s emails and believe that Natalie bullied Dawn relentlessly.

Childhood bullying is destructive, as demonstrated by Mia’s suicide. Mia was bullied because she suffered with cerebral palsy and had to have crutches and braces to walk. She also slurred her speech. Among other cruelties, Natalie and Tara sent notes to Mia they pretended had been written by a boy named George, a boy on whom...