250 pages
Alert: high school content
Booklist starred (November 1, 2000 (Vol. 97, No. 5))Gr. 8-10. Caitlin's life changes the day her sister runs away with her boyfriend instead of heading off to Yale. Cass has been the perfect child in the family, and now that she's gone, Caitlin feels her world spinning out of control. Knowing she can't take her sister's place, Caitlin follows a different, more dangerous path, one that leads her to the magnetic Rogerson Briscoe. Dessen writes with utter realism as she describes Caitlin's descent, first into drugs, then into sex, and finally into a relationship that turns violent, as she becomes Rogerson's punching bag. It's a tribute to Dessen that even though she has plotted the story carefully and shown Caitlin's disintegration inch by inch, she doesn't telegraph Rogerson's ultimate abuse. Readers will be as blindsided by the first punch as Caitlin is. Nor does Dessen offer an easy out; Caitlin is institutionalized after a breakdown and must work her way back to normalcy. It's not only the plot that's vivid; the characters are also intensely real, with each of the supporting characters as strong and indispensable as the leads. The subtext of dreams that pervades the story adds an emotional dimension that is as affecting as the action. Another pitch-perfect offering from Dessen.
My Comments
Sarah Dessen has been a favorite of mature middle-high school readers for years. She is excellent at portraying how situations develop, hard choices, and difficult secrets that young people may keep from their parents and friends. A powerful page-turner, but not recommended for most of my middle school population.
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