This debut novel, written primarily in poetry form reminiscent of Sonya Sones’s Stop Pretending (1999), follows a 15-year-old girl after she loses her right arm to a shark. Jane was a promising artist, and contends with the loss of her drawing ability along with the emotional shock and fear of returning to school. As she struggles to cope with her new disability, along with her depression and anger, she also clashes with family, friends and the irritating kindness of strangers who write to her. The poetry format often appeals to young readers and works to reflect Jane’s anger and despair, as well as her climb back to a normal, even joyful life. Jane’s roiling emotions come across more strongly and clearly within the spare but free-flowing poetry than might have been possible with a straight prose treatment. A promising start for Bingham. (Fiction. YA)
