Twisted (review)

In a desperate bid for notoriety, nerdy Tyler sprays graffiti on his high school and ends up with probation and community service for his trouble. His hard labor has the unexpected benefit of turning him into a muscle-bound hulk, hot enough to catch the eye of his school's "Alpha Female," Bethany. Sadly, Tyler realizes that a nerd with muscles is still a target when he finds himself falsely accused of posting nude pictures of Bethany on the web and becoming the victim of increasingly violent bullying as a result. His distress intensifies to the point where he contemplates suicide, but he pulls back as a result of an emotionally powerful epiphany that shows him where the real problem and real solution lie. Though the dialogue is sometimes slick and clichéd, Tyler's insights, like Melinda's in Speak (BCCB 10/99), are most forceful when they excoriate social pretense with caustic sarcasm. In his way, Tyler is as emotionally flayed as Melinda, even though his personal violation isn't as severe; his current crisis merely adds fuel to the slow burn of perpetual humiliation he has suffered throughout his life. Anderson remains a master at formulating small but apt symbols for emotional truths that trigger both thought and identification on the part of readers. Here, for instance, Tyler's habit of picking at the blisters on his hands so that calluses form faster becomes a metaphor for his need to force the painful confrontations that will ultimately lead to his healing into a scarred, toughened masculinity rather than one that covers over and protects his pain. This is a gripping exploration of what it takes to grow up, really grow up, against the wishes of people and circumstances conspiring to keep you the victim they need you to be.