Darcie, 16, seeks her father, Paul, and is befriended by handsome, intriguing Roman during a summer that climaxes with a startling tragedy. With Darcie's mother honeymooning in Europe, Darcie stays with Uncle George and Aunt May, helping out at their zoo restaurant. Taciturn and alcoholic, George is furious at Darcie's curiosity about Paul. Reluctantly, May tells Darcie that Paul was a local boy? a teen-ager as was her mother. Meanwhile, Darcie is fascinated by Roman, a warm, imaginative sealkeeper with a gift for communicating with animals, though his empathy with their captivity and grief when one of them dies border on bizarre. Darcie finds him her one comfort, although, at 28, he scrupulously tries to keep her at arm's length. Still, he helps her find Paul's father and provides solace as she pieces together her sad origins: George had bribed Paul to join the Army; Paul returned the money but went anyway, planning to return and marry Darcie's mother, but was killed. Darcie's feeling for Roman is so strong that she "would do anything for him"; their single kiss is yearningly sweet, but when his favorite seal is killed by a prankster, his ultimate request reveals his dangerous depths. Conrad's characters are so tautly drawn that readers should willingly suspend disbelief at the more melodramatic moments of her plot. The parallel threads of Darcie's quest and her gradual entwinement with Roman, in whose charming vitality a frightening flaw is implied from the beginning, should keep readers enthralled. Darcie's final escape from what has become an evil spell is heart-stopping.
Pub Date: April 1, 1987
ISBN: 0064471640
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
Summery fun and games with feeling.
A summer trip helps break 18-year-old Meredith Fox out of a haze of mourning.
Her cousin’s wedding means a return to Martha’s Vineyard, a well-loved destination but one filled with bittersweet memories. It’s been a year and a half since the sudden loss of Meredith’s sister, Claire, and the grief remains strong. Meredith, though, resolves to take this time to celebrate family and bridge the rifts resulting from ghosting friends. She didn’t plan on a meet-cute/embarrassing encounter with the groom’s stepbrother, Wit. Nor did she expect a wedding-week game of Assassin, a water-gun–fueled family tradition. What starts off as a pact of sharing strategic information with Wit grows into something more as the flirting and feelings develop. Only one person can win, though, and any alliance has an expiration date. To win and honor Claire, who was a master of the game, Meredith must keep her eye on the prize. Taking place over the course of a week, the narrative is tight with well-paced reveals that disrupt predictability and keep the plot moving. Early details are picked back up, and many elements come satisfyingly full circle. The short time frame also heightens the tension of this summer romance: What will happen when they leave the bubble of the Vineyard? The mix of budding romance, competitive hijinks, a close-knit circle, as well as dealing with loss make for a satisfying read. The main cast is White.
Summery fun and games with feeling. (family tree) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72821-029-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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