A deliciously slow-burning novel about a sightly odd teenage girl set mostly by a lake in Minnesota. The title refers directly to a presentation she made for a school competition but also indirectly to predatory and controlling characters in the story. We're told at the beginning that the boy she babysits dies, but not how, and that her teacher is probably dangerous, but not the outcome. That all unfolds gradually, carefully, and with beautifully observed descriptive passages. I enjoyed the slow pace and the slightly disturbing mood, but if I have criticism it's that the mood was only slightly disturbing; a bit uncomfortable when I'd been anticipating worse. A good read nevertheless.
