NOT FOR LOVE

by Hila Colman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 12, 1983

Sixteen-year-old suburban smoothie Jill Simon's sudden discovery, in an exchange of words with political activist Toby Wells, that there's ""something missing"" in her life, is Colman at her most topically puerile--but, once again, she has a couple of harder (if loaded) punches in reserve. Jill, enlisting in the local anti-nuclear-power-plant fight to see more of Toby, becomes a convert. Her banker-father, like Toby's engineer-father, ineffectually disapproves. Toby, no ""weirdo"" (as he assures her), falls for Jill. Life is beautiful: ""Jill felt that she understood what Toby meant by people power, the strength of people who got together to fight for a common cause. If it hadn't been for him she might never have known."" Toby is arrested in a demonstration, and wrongly charged with resisting an officer; Jill proudly sticks up for him, and for herself. Toby gets into Yale, and worries about getting a summer job to offset the cost; Jill cheers him up. He takes a summer job, the only one around, with the construction company building the power plant. Jill is devastated: goodbye to Toby, good-bye to anti-nuclear activism. He capitulates, reproachfully: he'll give up the job to keep her--but it was only a-means-to-an-end (""I'm a fighter and a realist""); she shouldn't have identified him with the cause (""I'm just an ordinary guy""). Jill, telling him to decide for himself, goes back to the nuclear group, chastened. Toby jumps the fence from the construction site to join the antinuke marchers. Together again: ""Life isn't perfect"" (he reminds her), ""you aren't perfect, and neither am I."" Effortless pap--with a little applied realism.

Pub Date: Oct. 12, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION