Mosh Pit
2004, Red Deer Press
ISBN: 0-88995-292-2
Price: $8.95 CAD
A raw look at punk, young love and the sometimes cloudy road to adulthood. Mosh Pit, a compelling story of rebel girls in the modern city, stars Simone torn between her loyalty to her rebellious heart-throb Cherry and her feelings for Carol, streetwise and distant enough to be alluring.
This edgy young adult novel takes Simone through the modern equivalent of Hades where drugs, drink and sexual ambiguity make for uncertain footing, physically, morally and emotionally. It’s a dark world where Simone gradually gains a sense of who she is and, more importantly, who she can be.
Reviews
Now Magazine Pit stop
By ZOE WHITTALL
“Mosh Pit is a delightful slap in the face of your grade 11 reading list. It’s Sweet Valley High if the twins were working-class high school dropouts who joined an army of punk rock sex workers, drag queens and underage alcoholics. Mosh Pit is addictive, seductive, fast-paced and, ultimately, a sweet coming-of-age story for people who hate sweet coming-of-age stories.” [ … ]
“Dunnion paints a brutal urban reality that mocks the saccharine sweetness of many teen novels. Back alley fixes, weblog rants and honest friendships blend together to create a tender, original and powerful read. Teens will devour it, parents will fear it and smart booksellers will stock it.”
— Canadianbookseller
“Dunnion assembles a memorable cast of dykes, she-males and wannabe rock stars with an authentic teen vibe.”
— Herizons
“Dunnion brings to light a punk sub-genre with an authenticity that can astound unaware readers in this affecting novel.”
— Calgary Herald
“Reminiscent of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.”
— Montreal Mirror
“Young Toronto author Kristyn Dunnion describes herself as a “saucy tart” but she’s also a seriously good prose stylist. Her second YA title is funny, outrageous, taut, and at times lyrical. The language is realistically explicit. The teen underworld Dunnion so convincingly creates may traumatize some adult readers, as S.E. Hinton did a generation ago.”
— Quill and Quire