Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is a book about a teen who had sex when she was 13. There are no descriptions of sex, but many sexual references. Teens also smoke, including marijuana.
Families can talk about the role of forgiveness in the story. How does it define the difference between Deanna, her brother, and her father? Why is it important? How does it change things for Deanna? Whom does it help the most?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
First-time author Sara Zarr seems to have vivid memories of her teen years and the small coastal town where she went to high school, which is where she sets her novel. The feelings and motivations of all of the characters, but especially of Deanna, are subtle and complex in a way that most young adult novels aren't. For instance, Deanna is repelled by Tommy, angry at him, contemptuous, a bit frightened, and yet still attracted to him. Tommy himself is a lout, but not evil, and with complex feelings of his own. Every character and every relationship gives the reader much to recognize and think about.
The theme of forgiveness is similarly subtle and complex here -- this is not an author to hit the reader over the head with The Point. Deanna and her brother are worried about becoming like their emotionally stunted father, and recognize that they can do the one thing he can't -- forgive and let go. Forgiveness is something all of the characters confront in one way or another, and those who can manage it do it for themselves more than for others. In this National Book Award nominated first novel, forgiveness becomes an act of survival, not sainthood.
From The Book
A spoon held out. A question about school. The possibility of an old car.
It came down to the smallest things, really, that a person could do to say I'm sorry, to say it's okay, to say I forgive you. The tiniest of declarations that built, one on top of the other, until there was something solid beneath your feet. And then ... and then. Who knew?
Plot Summary:
When she was 13, Deanna had a sexual affair with a 17-year-old boy, Tommy, which was ended by her father who caught them in the act. Now it's the summer between her sophomore and junior years, and she is still dealing with the repercussions: Her father can't look at her and seems to hate her, and Tommy's stories have made most of the high schoolers in her small town think she is nothing but a slut.
Hoping to make enough money to move out, Deanna takes a job at a local pizza place, even though Tommy works there too. Meanwhile she is dealing with her brother, who has become a teen father; his girlfriend, who takes off, leaving them with the baby; and her changing feelings about her only two remaining friends.
Related Books:
Misunderstood Teens:
Don't Look and It Won't Hurt by Richard Peck
Lucy Peale by Colby Rodowsky
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Related Web Sites:
Author's Site
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Sexual ContentThe story revolves around a girl who, when she was 13, was having sex with a 17-year-old; and her older teen brother, who got a girl pregnant. Nothing is described, but there are many references, as well as to "boobs," sexual harassment, condoms, "the pill," kissing, petting, homosexuality, and oral sex (very obliquely). |
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ViolenceDeanna knocks down a boy for grabbing her crotch. Her brother beats up another boy. |
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LanguageSome swearing, including "s--t" and "f--k," and the finger. |
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Social BehaviorDeanna's friends are caring, even when she deliberately hurts them. |
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CommercialismMany stores and fast food restaurants mentioned. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoTeen characters smoke (tobacco and marijuana) and drink. |
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