A story with feminist and lesbian overtones follows 13-year-old Phoebe, raised on an isolated Maine farm, in her developing friendship with Melita, the 14-year-old daughter of an unstable actress from New York City. Phoebe has no real friends, so when Melita arrives for a visit, Phoebe is apprehensive. Soon, however, she becomes fascinated with Melita’s sophistication. She begins to feel a strong attraction to Melita, especially after they practice kissing, and is devastated when she believes Melita rejects her as the two girls later spend time in New York. Jahn-Clough shows insight into Phoebe’s developing personality, but other characters seem sketched in, changing their behavior to become instantly reasonable when they realize they’ve hurt Phoebe. Phoebe’s lesbian feelings are not resolved by the end, leaving her simply as a growing girl with more confidence, better able to make friends and join the world. (Fiction. YA)
