THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE MISTY DAY
by Jackie French Koller
The author of a carefully crafted, well-received novel about the Depression (Nothing to Fear, 1991) essays a less ambitious story about recently widowed Kathy and her daughter Denny, who have left N.Y.C. to make a new life on an island in Maine. Denny, a typical 14-year-old, can be believably obtuse and obnoxious when her dissatisfaction with their drafty, uncomfortable cabin, her scorn for her new classmates, or her own grief makes her forget Kathy's; still, the two have a strong, loving relationship. Together, they make friends with gruff ``Mr. Jones,'' a retired engineer who is fixing up the Misty Day on a nearby island. There's a hint of mystery here—could Jones possibly be the boat's earlier owner, who disappeared long ago in a storm? Or his ghost? Not so, it turns out; instead, he's working out the sad end of his own battle against cancer, a task to which Denny and new friend Spence bring dramatic help in the final scenes. There are some simplistic passages here, and the plot is predictable—a lost daughter turns up for a poignant farewell, Denny's growing esteem for erstwhile antagonist Spence parallels her acceptance of her new home, etc. Not the author's best, then, though wholesome and enjoyable. (Fiction. 10-14)