Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor is set in the model community of Candor, Florida, where every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks, the son of the town's founder. Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.

But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant, and perfect through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. Oscar's built a business sabotaging his father's scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before the change happens. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks?

Then Oscar meets Nia, the girl he can't stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever, but by keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more.

The first few chapters passed by quite slowly and the story never really picked up until about halfway through. Then it got really good. The ending is my favorite part, because it was completely unexpected. I'm not sure what I was expecting to happen, but it certainly wasn't what actually happened. It left me with my mouth hanging open.

Candor is a good book if you enjoy books set in a world similar to ours but also different.

Louis

(Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library TAB Member)