When it comes to Sarah Dessen, I'm 'Along for the Ride'

Auden has an odd relationship with her parents.  Both brilliant, self-assured, and self-centered, they divorced when Auden was young because their egos got in the way.  Auden has had to fend for herself for the most part, but she's doing all right for herself: she's a hard worker and vigilant student who is looking at attending one of the top colleges.  Out of obligation, she accepts her father's invitation to spend her summer with him and his new family, in a beach town called Colby.  However, she doesn't spend a lot of time with her dad, who's busy writing a book, or stepmom Heidi, who's struggling to raise baby Thisbe (Dad insisted on the name) by herself.  Then Auden makes a terrible first impression on the local group of teens, and it seems as though the summer couldn't get worse.  But then the surprisingly warm Heidi asks Auden to look after the bookkeeping for her boutique, and Auden starts to make friends with the girls who work there - especially the sensible and fun Maggie.  But what really draws Auden to the town is Eli, a guy who seems cut off from the crowd but receptive to her approaches.  As she and Eli bond, and as she discovers her parents' flaws, she starts behaving like a regular teen.  But like so many people in her life, Auden finds it hard to change, to adjust, to let go of the intellectual superiority and self-sufficiency she's always possessed and accept that a messy life is one with no regrets.

Going into this, I really couldn't say what I expected.  The only other YA writer I can think of off the top of my head is Meg Cabot - that is, the kind who is always on a bestseller list and getting attention and praise - and I don't much care for her.  This, however, is a fine book - fine in the sense of fine wine, which is complex and offers a lot of flavors and invites the drinker to savor it.  The crisis that Auden goes through is familiar yet particular to the character.  I liked her right away: she is sensible and mature, but her maturity is coupled with a sense of superiority that she got from her assertive mother.  She's a great student, yes, but one with weird study habits - she goes out to restaurants to study at night, returning around 3 a.m.  She is neither a tomboy nor a girly-girl.  She's able to brush off a last-minute cancellation by her prom date.  She's done with high school; she must move on without looking back.

It's Eli that makes her look back, however.  One of the huge issues for me in a YA novel is how it portrays the love interest.  And at first, Eli seems to be that mysterious loner type who ruffles Auden's feathers.  But that stage of their relationship doesn't last long, and we find that Eli is a caring person who is genuinely curious in Auden and her demeanor.  They break through each other's walls in a natural way.  The other Colby denizens are given a good amount of screen time, too, and Auden's developing friendship with the girly Maggie is particularly well-done.  There's a biking subplot that comes and goes, and truthfully could have been woven in better, but it's a minor point.  I haven't even mention Hollis, Auden's older brother whose rebellious and outgoing attitude toward life is encouraged by his mother.  When he becomes engaged to a businesswoman who is decidedly down-to-earth (which annoys Mom terribly), his switch from exuberant globe-trotter to exuberant customer relations expert at a bank mirrors Auden's transformation.

Dessen also spends time with Auden's parents, with whom she has complicated relationships of unconditional love and deep bitterness.  It's frustrating for the reader to see how wrapped up Dad is in his work, how certain Mom is of her judgments of everyone, and how it takes them both so long to realize that they must adjust their attitudes - not to mention try to walk in someone else's shoes.  But it's their realization that they don't know their families very well that leads them both on a path of redemption - a nice touch which cements family issues as a major theme of this book.

This is such top-quality storytelling.  I'll be happy to try more of Dessen's offerings.  Rating: 4.5 pink offices out of 5.