Appearances Are Deceiving
One of the dominant themes within the novel also applies to the novel itself. Many reviewers have noted that at first glance, the story looks like it may be The Breakfast Club for the social media age. What starts out as an eclectic group of high students sharing detention, however, very quickly erupts into a murder mystery. The narrative of that murder mystery being investigated in turns results in characters who initially appear to conform to stereotypes eventually revealing layers of complexity. Notably, Simon’s death appears to be a murder, although it is in fact a suicide.
The Effects of Social Media
Social media is prevalent throughout the narrative; the teenage characters are eager to share information, yet they also live in a state of dread about what will be shared. Social media is not condemned as a blight, however; the author presents the phenomenon as both a positive and negative influence. Instead of lecturing on the potential harm of social media obsession, author Karen McManus allows her characters to learn through experience. The very centerpiece of the book is a social media app for sharing local high school gossip, but notably it is not until the characters begin to lose control of how social media shapes their identity that they really awaken to the spectacular potential for a downside.
Gossip, Truth, and Transparency
The narrative unfolds through multiple layers of perspective in which different characters do not just provide first-person subjective narration, but—like a blog post or diary entry—the exact day, date and time of their narration. What was once a distinguishing characteristic of postmodern fiction has become mainstreamed as a method for commenting upon the subjectivity of truth in an environment where truth is expected to be objective. Adding to the nature of this exploration, McManus juxtaposes multiple perspectives with a plot that revolves around the volatile nature of gossip. On one level, the book seeks to raise a question—what the difference between knowing the truth and indulging in gossip? Even if something is true, is gossiping about it moral? And if not, then what is the relationship between truth and honesty? The connection between the death of the student who is the school’s gossip king and the ultimate revelation of secrets and complexities of students who are not exactly what they appear to be suggests that in some cases, what appears to be the “truth” only tells half the story.
Parents' Impact on their Children
Each of the four narrators suffers because of their parents’ perceptions: Bronwyn and Cooper are both afraid to let their parents down, so they cheat and lie about their sexuality, Addy subjects herself to an abusive relationship because her mother tells her that she needs a man, and without parental involvement, Nate turns to selling drugs. Here, we see the profound effect that parents have on their children. Even loving parents can have a negative impact on their children when they fail to communicate that all human beings are flawed and make mistakes, and that these mistakes will not make them unlovable.
The Ineffectiveness of the Criminal Justice System
This novel indicts the criminal justice system. Rather than thoroughly investigating the case, the police form a theory that one of the four teens in detention is guilty of murder. They pursue this lead at the exclusion of all others, and in particular, rely on stereotypes in casting the most scrutiny over Nate. Even Officer Lopez realizes that Nate lacks financial means and parental support to defend himself, and thus may find himself scapegoated for a crime he did not commit. Only when his friends intervene and do true detective work is he cleared.
Media Distortions of Reality
Mikhail Powers Investigates puts a teens’ suicide in the national spotlight, casting the four teens who witnessed it as criminals with questionable pasts. The media team invades these minors’ privacy and strongly affects not just their day-to-day life but their future prospects. All of this is done in the name of entertainment, not true investigation, as the show turns up nothing that helps solve the case. The media fixation on crime makes it impossible for anyone to remain innocent until proven guilty.
Inequality and its Effects on Self-Esteem
While the four teens in this novel all live in an affluent area, they are each affected by structural inequality. Addy and Bronwyn are women, and Bronwyn is the biracial child of an immigrant father; Cooper is a member of the LGBT community; and Nate is low-income and the child of addicts. These four teens all suffer various levels of discrimination and internalized shame because of the way others view them. While these feelings could leave them defensive and ready to turn on each other, they instead display what we might call “solidarity,” standing up to the structural forces that would drag them down (and in the process foiling the plot of a young straight white man, Simon, whose “aggrieved entitlement” fits the profile for most school shooters).
