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Nine Inches: Chosen Girl & Test Taker

Chosen Girl:  Elderly, neglected, lonely woman looking out the window at kids waiting for the bus in the cold.  Little girl from a religious sect that has moved into town is without warm clothes. This makes her think of her own son, now a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, and his upbringing.  Son missed visiting at Christmas, but promised to come in April.  She has decorated the house for Christmas in April, but--selfish prig that he is--he insists it was a vague sort of statement and not a promise at all.  Broken heart. She finds herself at a meeting of the cult/sect and feels, for the first time in a long time, a sense of belonging.

Traditional tale, well-written, characters are believable.  Just plain good.

Test Taker:  Boy who takes SAT's for others for money.  Alienated, naturally. Sees the underside of the successful of the world.  Parties, discovers he is taking a test for a kid who dissed him.  Flunks it on purpose.  What I really liked about this was that Perrotta didn't pretend that the "flunking" would have any long term impact.  Kid would have another shot at the SATs.  Just a wrench in the works, and our "hero" is glad to have thrown it.  Into every life . . .

Two solid stories.

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