In her much-heralded debut, a voyeuristic coming-of-age mystery bristling with horror tropes, Dizz Tate evokes a Florida town poisoned by secrets and explores fickle allegiances in teenage lives.
Brutes recounts the disappearance of a TV preacher’s 14-year-old daughter, Sammy, through the watchful eyes of a Greek chorus of 13-year-old girls who form her unofficial fanclub. As the town searches for its lost “angel”, the girls trace the events leading to this moment: the complex dynamics between Sammy and school power couple Mia and Eddie, and their roles in recruiting for the Star Search dance classes, which exploit fame-hungry kids by dangling casting auditions and a ticket to Hollywood. When the girls discover the true cost of these coveted prizes, that knowledge will haunt them into adulthood.
