Megan Abbott is the queen of creepyweirdawfulcompelling. The last book I read of hers made me want to take my skin off and scrub the inside of it clean before putting it back on – this one’s no different. An illness taking hold of girls in a school – it could be an STD or a plague or, quite possibly, something out of a science fiction film. Abbot’s books are a dissection of the ambient horror of modern suburban lifestyle, and this may be her best book yet. It’s awful, not for everyone, but you’ll at least admire the craft of it.