Enny and Orph are friends in grade school; bright and idiosyncratic, both are outcasts, but Orph helps Enny learn to face down the bullies who torment her with stories full of hate and pain. In the next of five chapters that move ever deeper into Orph's story, and its resonance with the myth of Orpheus, Enny describes their reunion in their teens, when she becomes Orph's manager. She helps Orph break away from an unsavory band (her hit is "It Makes Me Sick"—she literally vomits); they gather three more musicians and, in believable detail, become a success. Meanwhile, Orph falls in love with Yuri, a recovering addict, as lyrically recounted in chapter three; seeing her vomit on stage makes him realize that she voices his own angst and propels him to a cure; friends, then lovers, they decide to marry. Since each chapter covers a similar period (though the focus grows more intimate), the tragic conclusion is foreshadowed several times before the full account of the wedding, when Yuri's old "friends" trick him into taking drugs and lead him irretrievably away; and when Orph expresses her grief in concert, she is crushed by her mesmerized fans. The parallels here are intriguing; more, they enrich the modern tragedy. The mythic quality is enhanced by Voigt's carefully controlled focus: the luxuriant details of family and setting that she usually includes have been scrupulously excised. A powerful novel—brief and deceptively easy to read—that's fashioned with imagination and skill. (Fiction. 14+)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-689-31771-9
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1992
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
Marcus is black and Eddie white in a multicultural Long Island neighborhood. Known to all as “Black and White,” they have honed their athletic skills together and are in the midst of a basketball season headed to the playoffs and scholarships to good colleges. They know each other’s timing and rhythm and feel complete trust in each other. However, off the court they have decided to supplement their income by holding up strangers for money for senior activities and the latest athletic shoes. Using Grandpa’s gun from Eddie’s attic, both think their initial success means invincibility. The nightmare that ensues when Eddie inadvertently hits the trigger—and their victim—becomes the playing field for the author’s exploration of how much difference race can make in the fate of each boy and their friendship. Rather than exploring the issue of race by pretending it doesn’t exist, Volponi points directly at it, illustrating at every turn that the race of the various characters influences events as well as whether Marcus will end up in prison alone. Consequences for everyone unfold and escalate in rapid-fire fashion. Hugely discussable. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-670-06006-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
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