BABYFACE

by Norma Fox Mazer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 9, 1990

The myths presented in an ironic prelude--a local reporter's description of Toni Chessman and Julie Jensen's idyllic friendship and families--are dispelled by Toni's sadder, more astute views of both families. The girls, 14, are aware of the rift between Julie's constantly quarreling parents; but Toni, whose doting dad calls her ""Babyface"" thinks her parents are joking when they speak to her instead to each other; to her mind, in fact, there's only one crack in her own family's perfection: her adult sister, Martine, doesn't like her. When Dad has a heart attack, Toni stays with Martine and learns the truth: during Martine's childhood, Dad was so abusive that Mom almost left; she was deterred, at the time of Toni's birth, by Dad's promising to quell his anger. Deeply disillusioned, Toni rejects her father; ultimately, struggling for honesty, she makes a tentative new bond with him and with her sister, and precipitates her parents into communication with each other. The complete restructuring of the Chessmans' family dynamics skirts implausibility, but Mazer, a practiced, notably perceptive writer, gets the nuances just right, making both characters and outcome credible. A wise, thought-provoking novel about maturing as a result of coming to terms with the kind of shameful episode concealed in many a past.

Pub Date: Sept. 9, 1990

ISBN: 0152062777

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S