FIXING DELILAH

Delilah’s life has been falling apart for some time. She’s losing friends, shoplifting, skipping school and spending far too much time with her non-boyfriend, Finn. A phone call announcing the death of her estranged grandmother changes everything. Arriving in Vermont, both Delilah and her mother are unprepared for the memories they find. Delilah, desperate to understand the rift in her family, tries to uncover the long-buried secrets that led to it, while Patrick, an old friend, helps guide her toward the answers as well as acceptance of her family and her past. The writing is beautiful in places, bordering on lyrical. Unfortunately, while the mystery surrounding the family’s history holds promise, it also loses its legs. Delilah is at times endearing, but she isn't enough to carry the too-familiar plot. The emotionally unavailable mother, the flighty, hippie aunt and the too-good-to-be-true love interest are just a sample of the many stock characters that populate this story. (Fiction. 12 & up)