A moving, worldly-wise tale of a teen on a spiritual roller-coaster ride.
A teenager begins to see visions of the Virgin Mary in this YA Christian novel.
Sixteen-year-old Stevie Albie is living the normal life of an American high school student when that existence is upended quite dramatically. The Virgin Mary suddenly appears to the teen in a vision. “She came to me in what I first thought was a dream, light pulsating around her, muffling her features,” Stevie reflects. “When she smiles…I feel the jolt of recognition in my heart.” This strikes her as surprising since she considers herself very ordinary: “Mediocre is pretty much my middle name.” And yet it’s Mary herself who asks: “Oh, my darling child, don’t you know how special you are?” While Stevie is grappling with a scary cancer diagnosis and visits to hospitals and specialists, she’s also increasingly certain that Mary must be appearing to her for some distinct reason. When word begins to spread, all the usual things start to happen, from the doubting reactions of Stevie’s friends to inquiries from the local press. One response is perhaps equally predictable: A Florida-based religious group calling itself the Church of the Eye approaches her, wanting to make contact with somebody it considers a prophet of God. As Stevie is drawn closer and closer into the workings of the Church of the Eye, her disillusionment runs right alongside the increasing personal comfort she gets from Mary’s visits. Durfee adopts a narrative tone that’s perfectly balanced between YA–style whimsical humor and a sober, deep inquiry into the nature of belief. The tale’s cast of supporting characters is confidently portrayed, and the author’s depiction of Mary is all the more touchingly understated in light of the story’s bittersweet ending. Readers perhaps fondly recalling Diane Schoemperlen’s 2001 novel, Our Lady of the Lost and Found, will find a similar tenor of gentle human understanding running throughout Durfee’s book, which will please Christians and non-Christians alike.
A moving, worldly-wise tale of a teen on a spiritual roller-coaster ride.Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949935-21-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Orange Blossom Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon.
A gay teen contends with time travel—and homophobia through the decades.
All Cuban American Luis wants is to be prom king with his boyfriend, but tiny upstate New York boarding school Antic Springs Academy, with its strict, Christian code of conduct, won’t even let them hold hands in public. After a disastrous prom committee meeting at which his attempt to make the event welcoming of queer couples is rejected by the principal, Luis gets quite literally knocked into the past—specifically, ASA in the year 1985. There he meets Chaz, a Black student who attended the school at the same time as Luis’ parents and who died under mysterious circumstances after being bullied for his sexuality. Luis now faces a choice between changing the past to help Chaz and preserving his own future existence. Fortunately, he has Ms. Silverthorn, a Black English teacher and beloved mentor, who offers him support in both timelines. The narrative explores the impacts of homophobia and being closeted, remaining optimistic without shying away from the more brutal aspects. Luis is a multifaceted character with an engaging voice whose flaws are confronted and examined throughout. The solid pacing and pleasant, fluid prose make this a page-turner. Luis’ boyfriend is cued as Chinese American, and his best friend is nonbinary; there is some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in background characters, although the school is predominantly White.
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0710-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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