The Tragedy Paper is a novel by Elizabeth Laban that tells the story of Tim Macbeth, a 17-year-old student at the Irving School, a prestigious boarding school in upstate New York. Tim is a troubled young man who has struggled to fit in at Irving and has a difficult relationship with his father, a successful businessman.
At the start of the novel, Tim is assigned to write a paper on a tragedy as part of a class taught by Mr. Graves, a demanding and enigmatic teacher. Tim chooses to write about the death of his mother, who died in a car accident when he was a child. As he works on the paper, Tim becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea of tragedy and begins to see connections between his own life and the tragedies he is studying.
As Tim delves deeper into his research, he becomes convinced that his mother's death was not an accident, but rather a murder orchestrated by his father. He begins to investigate the possibility that his father had a motive for killing his mother and becomes consumed by the idea of uncovering the truth.
Meanwhile, Tim's relationship with his girlfriend, Vanessa, becomes strained as he becomes more distant and preoccupied with his theories about his mother's death. He also struggles with his feelings for his roommate, Duncan, who is openly gay and facing discrimination at Irving.
As Tim's obsession with the tragedy paper grows, he becomes increasingly isolated and paranoid, leading him down a dangerous path that threatens to destroy his relationships and his future. In the end, he is forced to confront the truth about his mother's death and his own role in the events that have shaped his life.
Overall, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of grief, identity, and the power of the past to shape the present. It is a poignant and ultimately hopeful story that will leave readers pondering its themes long after they have finished reading.
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