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Whores On The Hill

Review of Colleen Curran's Novel

Jul 11, 2009 Catherine Jozwik

Astrid, Juli and Thisbe, three sophomores at in all-girls school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, indulge in deviant acts, not realizing the consequences until it's too late.

At Sacred Heart Holy Angels High School, the only all-girls Catholic high school in Milwaukee, girls personalize their uniforms with different kinds of socks. There's the preppy tennis socks, the chaste opaque tights – and torn fishnets.

The Whores on The Hill wear the fishnets proudly. They laugh at the looks, the nudges and the whispers when they walk through the back door at a party. They are young, gorgeous, and ready for anything. And they won't let anyone forget that.

Bad Girls

Thisbe Newton, a quiet transplant from another private school, finds herself thrown into a world of drugs, casual sex, and endless parties after she meets the outgoing and defiant Astrid Thornton and her laconic but philosophical friend Juli. The three of them have earned the moniker "Whores On The Hill" which bothers Thisbe until Astrid teaches her to embrace her "bad girl" reputation. The phantom figure of Deb Scott, the ultimate rebel that disappeared one day in the early eighties without warning, still looms large at Sacred Heart, and the three girls, enthralled by her legend, religiously follow in her footsteps.

To the trio, boys are merely objects to flirt with – until one breaks your heart. Female friendship always wins out, and Thisbe develops a sense of longing and admiration for Astrid - until she is betrayed by her. Astrid, jealous because a certain boy started dating Thisbe instead of her, gets even with her by sleeping with him. Thisbe is unable to forgive Astrid and begins acting out violently.

Curran never shies away from topics such as birth control, sexual assault, and abortion, and clearly conveys her position through an adolescent's eyes. The characters hide their fears with drugs, booze and false bravado, and from the way Curran writes about it, she remembers all too well what it was like to be a teenager in the late 1980's.

Regionalism in Whores on the Hill

The novel, set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, flows with rich imagery of the city. Kids drink Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, dance at Metropolis, a downtown night club, and hold bonfires at the lakefront. Milwaukee natives appreciate Curran's description of the eclectic East Side, the Oriental Theater, and the blue-collar South Side, but Curran's vivid prose makes the city come alive for non-natives as well. From the Miller Brewing Company to the George Webb diners that pepper the city, Curran treats Milwaukee, a city rich in history and legends, as a major character.

Both funny and insightful, Whores On The Hill is a sharp testimony to adolescent female friendship.

Curran, Colleen. Whores On The Hill. Vintage Books 2005, ISBN 1-4000-7995-0

The copyright of the article Whores On The Hill in American Fiction is owned by Catherine Jozwik. Permission to republish Whores On The Hill in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Whores on The Hill