'Lock' this one in
After a way-too-long break from a very early reading list, I finally finish the Sarah Dessen collection I bought on one of my last trips to Borders (R.I.P).
Ruby is independent and has a hard outer shell that's tough to crack - and she likes it that way. She and her mother live a life of skipping rent and general avoidance. But then one day, Ruby's mother runs away without taking Ruby along with her. Before she can react, Ruby finds herself passed from social services to her older sister Cora, who has been estranged from her mother and sister for ten years. She is welcomed by Jamie, Cora's enthusiastic husband, and Nate, her incredibly friendly and handsome neighbor. She attends a private school, lands a job working for a perpetually stressed jewelry designer, and becomes a companion to Roscoe, the skittish family dog. Old habits die hard, though, as Ruby has trouble opening up to the people around her and accepting a life where the future suddenly looks attainable. To make things worse, Ruby begins to suspect that Nate, as wonderful as he is, is hiding a secret about his family that she is all too familiar with. She must learn that strength is not defined by the absence of weakness, and that family means more than blood ties.
It's been a while since I've read such satisfying YA lit, and I'm so glad it's due to Dessen. (I wasn't quite as impressed with one of her earlier efforts.) I think she really has a gift for creating plausible, sympathetic, dynamic female protagonists and bildingsroman stories, especially when the spine is thick. Ruby never comes across as generic or stereotypical, and the relationships between her and various other characters evolve naturally and at a leisurely pace. At the same time, the plot is always in motion - finely-tuned while still holding a few surprises. There's a part in the middle of the novel where Ruby screws up, and we see how the characters react to it as well as how it changes both her and them. Most of the subplots - woven in without seeming obtrusive - carry similar themes of being on the outside, acceptance, and loyalty. We see how the people around Ruby grow: Olivia, a cynical classmate annoyed by the school's wealth; Gervais, a kid genius who at firsts exists only to mock Ruby; and Cora, who makes major headway in their relationship after a big reveal. Even Nate, who was kind of close to being a two-note character, develops some depth as Ruby gets to know him; his status as the love interest is less interesting to me than his story. Dessen's characters are so enjoyable and big-hearted that it's just fun to hang out in their world.
That being said, this isn't all exactly butterflies and rainbows. A large part of Ruby's life has involved abuse from her mother - both physical and emotional. Among other things, this helps give the story some contrast, helps to weigh it down. It makes the lessons Ruby eventually learns all the more poignant - and it never, ever devolves into an after-school special treatise. These are real people who have real reactions.
An impeccable, fun, involving novel. I love it to death. Rating: 5 nighttime swims in your neighbor's pool out of 5.
It's been a while since I've read such satisfying YA lit, and I'm so glad it's due to Dessen. (I wasn't quite as impressed with one of her earlier efforts.) I think she really has a gift for creating plausible, sympathetic, dynamic female protagonists and bildingsroman stories, especially when the spine is thick. Ruby never comes across as generic or stereotypical, and the relationships between her and various other characters evolve naturally and at a leisurely pace. At the same time, the plot is always in motion - finely-tuned while still holding a few surprises. There's a part in the middle of the novel where Ruby screws up, and we see how the characters react to it as well as how it changes both her and them. Most of the subplots - woven in without seeming obtrusive - carry similar themes of being on the outside, acceptance, and loyalty. We see how the people around Ruby grow: Olivia, a cynical classmate annoyed by the school's wealth; Gervais, a kid genius who at firsts exists only to mock Ruby; and Cora, who makes major headway in their relationship after a big reveal. Even Nate, who was kind of close to being a two-note character, develops some depth as Ruby gets to know him; his status as the love interest is less interesting to me than his story. Dessen's characters are so enjoyable and big-hearted that it's just fun to hang out in their world.
That being said, this isn't all exactly butterflies and rainbows. A large part of Ruby's life has involved abuse from her mother - both physical and emotional. Among other things, this helps give the story some contrast, helps to weigh it down. It makes the lessons Ruby eventually learns all the more poignant - and it never, ever devolves into an after-school special treatise. These are real people who have real reactions.
An impeccable, fun, involving novel. I love it to death. Rating: 5 nighttime swims in your neighbor's pool out of 5.
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