History Literature / ReconstructingAmelia

* HeadInTheSandManagement: The staff at Grace Hall, who are unwilling to do anything about the clubs despite knowing about them. [[spoiler:This turns out to be because Adele Smith is making them.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: Played with multiple times. Amelia was told that her father was a young man her mother had an uncharacteristic fling with prior to him leaving on a mission to Africa, but starts to wonder after she gets a text saying that's not the case. Kate, on the other hand, knows [[spoiler:or rather, believes, that it's actually Daniel Moore, who she had a one-night stand with, while her boss Jeremy figures out it's actually ''him'' after he realizes that Amelia has Waardenburg Syndrome like he does. Adele Goodwin makes the same connection. Also it turns out the young man on a mission to Africa actually ''did'' exist, but this happened well before Amelia was conceived so there's no way he's her father.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: All over the place, but the most plot important is [[spoiler:Jeremy, Kate's boss. He claims to have stopped but has slept around enough to father ''at least two'' illegitimate children a couple years apart]].

* LukeIAmYourFather: Played with multiple times. Amelia was told that her father was a young man her mother had an uncharacteristic fling with prior to him leaving on a mission to Africa, but starts to wonder after she gets a text saying that's not the case. Kate, on the other hand, knows [[spoiler:or rather, believes, that it's actually Daniel Moore, who she had a one-night stand with, while her boss Jeremy realizes it's actually ''him'' after he realizes that Amelia has Waardenburg Syndrome like he does. Adele Goodwin makes the same connection. Also it turns out the young man on a mission to Africa actually ''did'' exist, but this happened well before Amelia was conceived so there's no way he's her father.]]

* Foreshadowing: The fact that [=gRaCeFULLY=] is actually run by [[spoiler:Liv, the teacher]] is foreshadowed early on by a fairly innocuous conversation when we find out [[spoiler:Liv submitted a piece by Amelia to a contest, which she won, without her permission. This demonstrates that she's willing to not just bend, but outright ''break'' the rules for her own benefit.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: All over the place, but the most plot important is [[spoiler:Jeremy, Kate's boss, claims to have stopped but has slept around enough to father ''at least two'' illegitimate children a couple years apart]].

* TotallyRadical: the actual teenagers mostly avoid this in their dialog and texts, which sound just about right as far as the time period (late 2013), but a popular (and unauthorized by the school) gossip blog called [=gRaCeFULLY=] is full of this. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a clue that the blog is run not by a student, but a teacher, specifically Liv, who explains herself by saying she did it as a way to connect with the kids]]. Also subverted later by [[spoiler:Ben, who avoids this so it's significantly harder to tell that he's actually Jeremy]].

* FreeRangeChildren: Explored, as Amelia was not really this growing up (she had a nanny) but other parents and kids perceived her as this. The ''real'' free range children are [[spoiler:the leaders of the Magpies, specifically Zadie and Dylan, whose parents are well aware of what they're doing but aren't stopping them.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: Played with multiple times. Amelia was told that her father was a young man her mother had an uncharacteristic fling with prior to him leaving on a mission to Africa, but starts to wonder after she gets a text saying that's not the case. Kate, on the other hand, knows [[spoiler:or rather, believes, that it's actually Daniel Moore, who she had a one-night stand with, while her boss Jeremy realizes it's actually ''him'' after he realizes that Amelia has Waardenburg Syndrome like he does. Adele Goodwin makes the same connection.]]

* NameAfterSomebodyFamous: Zadie Smith is probably a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadie_Smith the author of the same name]], and like the author also lives in New York.

* SlutShaming: All over the place among the kids ''and'' adults. Amelia's friend Sylvia in particular is almost constantly facing this given her lengthy series of boyfriends.

* TotallyRadical: the actual teenagers mostly avoid this in their dialog and texts, which sound just about right as far as the time period (late 2013), but a popular (and unauthorized by the school) gossip blog called [=gRaCeFULLY=] is full of this. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a clue that the blog is run not by a student, but a teacher, specifically Liv, who explains herself by saying she did it as a way to connect with the kids]]

The story follows Kate, a single mother in New York City whose world is shattered when her daughter Amelia is found dead on school grounds. Even stranger, it's just hours after Kate is called to pick her up to start a suspension after she's uncharacteristically accused of cheating on a paper. Months later, just as Kate begins to finally accept that Amelia committed suicide months later she receives a mysterious text saying Amelia didn't jump, which kicks off her investigation into the real story behind her daughter's death.

* FreeRangeChildren: Explored, as Amelia was not really this growing up (she had a nanny) but other parents and kids perceived her as this

The story follows Kate, a single mother in New York City whose world is shattered when her daughter Amelia is found dead on school grounds just hours after Kate is called to pick her up to start a suspension after being accused of cheating on a paper. Just as Kate begins to finally accept that Amelia committed suicide months later she receives a mysterious text saying Amelia didn't jump, which kicks off her investigation into the real story behind her daughter's death.

* TomboyishName: Dylan, which means that [[spoiler:Kate doesn't immediately realize that the "boy" Amelia was seeing was actually a girl until she's told.]]

* MyBelovedSmother: [[spoiler:Dylan's, whose mother controls nearly every aspect of her life. Conversely, she's perfectly fine with Dylan putting up images of herself in lingerie on the internet.]]

* SlutShaming: All over the place among the kids ''and'' adults.

* SharedUnusualTraits: Three related characters in the story have [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waardenburg_syndrome Waardenburg syndrome]], but who they are isn't immediately obvious because it's expressed in different ways: [[spoiler:Jeremy's hair went grey early, Amelia has heterochromia and Zadie has a SkunkStripe]].

The narrative alternates between the points of view of Kate, the deceased Amelia, and excerpts from Amelia's texts, Facebook posts and other correspondence.

* LukeIAmYourFather: Played with multiple times. Amelia was told that her father was a young man her mother had an uncharacteristic fling with prior to him leaving on a mission to Africa, but starts to wonder after she gets a text saying that's not the case. Kate, on the other hand, knows [[spoiler:or rather, believes, that it's actually Daniel Moore, who she had a one-night stand with, while her boss Jeremy realizes it's actually ''him'' after he realizes that Amelia has Waardenburg Syndrome like he does.]]
* MismatchedEyes: Amelia has these, which causes Zadie to call her "crazy eyes". It actually ends up being important because [[spoiler:this was how Jeremy realized he was actually her father.]]

* AdultsAreUseless: Played with, since while most of the adults are particularly effective they at least try. Woodhouse seems to be the example being most played straight [[spoiler:but he's not only had his hands tied but is secretly conducting an investigation into the clubs and only stays quiet so as not to give away the mountain of evidence they already have.]]

* Gayngst: Seth, who was Kate's last boyfriend before he [[LastHetRomance realized he was gay]] explains that this was why it took him so long to come out. [[spoiler:Amelia, too, experiences this, but more because she's outed against her will in a traumatic fashion.]]

* SkunkStripe: Zadie has a white lock of hair. [[spoiler:This is actually a clue that she and Amelia share a father.]]