Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the mother of 15-year-old Mia dies 12 days after being diagnosed with cancer and her father has his second heart attack soon after. Each chapter in this novel could stand alone (some have been published separately) with vivid descriptions of Mia's evolving grief, her relationships with her stodgy father and sharp-tongued older sister, as well as her challenges as a teen with boys, peers, and fitting in. Teens discuss sex and romance, sip wine, use profanity, and skip school. There is also reference to the Holocaust and aftermath for Mia's mother's family.
Families can talk about the title of this book: What was the "cure" for Mia or is there one? How are these "cures" related to Mia's needs as a teen -- such as the comfort of a best friend, finding love in a boyfriend (one who has his own experiences with illness), or the safety net of a family? How is Mia a more evolved person in the end?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Pam Gelman
The authenticity of this novel largely stems from author Margo Rabb's teen experiences of losing her own mother and father. Mia's teen behaviors after her mother's death are spot-on, and readers will find it easy to connect with her, even if they don't have similar experiences.
The author expertly weaves Mia's everyday moments as a teen girl growing up -- funny stuff -- with the tough and tear-jerking milestones of her grieving process. Mia gets a new best friend and crushes on boys on the one hand, and ponders her parents' marital discord, her mother's bouts of depression, and her evolving and difficult relationships with her father and older sister on the other. A born shopper, Mia decides to buy a dress for the funeral that she noticed the last time she shopped with her mother, and even wears her mother's old makeup.
CURES FOR HEARTBREAK is a valuable coming-of-age story for the right teen reader ready for the tough subject matter.
From The Book
I couldn't stop crying. I knew it was the wrong time to cry publicly now, so late for my mother's death, so prematurely for my father's. What no one ever tells you is that people don't die all at once, but again and again in waves, before their deaths and after. And I wasn't just crying for watching Richard leave with Gina, or seeing my father's body, or the fight with my sister, or even my mother. It was everything, suddenly -- every person and object and speck of existence in the world seemed as if it could be lost. I kept crying until my sister put her arms around me, my fallen eyelashes folded inside a crumpled tissue, and said, "Come one," and took me to the cafeteria to eat.
Plot Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Mia's mother checks into the hospital for a stomach ache and dies 12 days later from melanoma. Then her father, whom she struggles to get along with, has a second heart attack and bypass surgery. Helping her absorb it all is a new best friend, shopping trips, and a 19-year-old boy in remission from leukemia. Then, as if keeping herself going wasn't hard enough, her father is suddenly engaged.
Related Books:
More Poignant Teen Reads:
Perfect by Natasha Friend
Runaway by Alice Munro
Strays by Ron Koertge
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentDescriptions of kissing, fondling, heavy petting under skirts, virginities, fantasies, and wearing skimpy clothing to be sexy. Teen girl suspects her father is having sex with his girlfriend. |
 |
|
||
ViolenceMany passages describe scenes in hospitals. Some mentions of Holocaust concentration camps. Stories told of two suicides: one from ingesting pills, another by hanging. |
 |
|
||
Language"F--k" said amongst teens and by teens to their father. |
|
 |
||
Message |
|
|
||
Social BehaviorMia's progression through grief is real and while there is no "sure-bet" cure, she leans on family and friends to grow. Her father and mother don't have a happy marriage and her mother may have been pursuing a former flame. |
 |
 |
||
CommercialismMention of Bloomingdales and other shops in NYC. |
 |
|
||
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoPeople smoke cigarettes and drink. Parents let teens sip wine at dinner. A person dies from ingesting pills. |
|
|
||
