Typically I would not read a young adult novel like this one. The author, however, attended the same school as me (I never interacted with or met her) so I was intrigued.
Immediately, I loved reading it simply because her descriptions of my home town brought back warm memories! Setting is not enough to keep one reading, though! Her character development and well-crafted plot hooked me. I found myself wanting to stay up all night to read it! She addresses challenging topics well: under-age drinking, a rape, alcoholism, teenage bullies/cruelty/fickleness.
New to Millington Valley, studious Molly cannot believe football players are paying attention to her and even inviting her to a party. With her widow mother working two jobs, the apartment is lonely. She welcomes the attention.
A few weeks later, after school has begun, Molly and Wade, the star football player, leave a party early because Molly has something to tell him. Wade has been drinking. When he totals the truck and leaves the scene of the accident to go for help, his life is altered beyond his imagination. Molly is scarred permenantly physically from the accident. But something horrible had happened before the accident but is block by her amensia. Only if she remembers will she heal.
I was impressed how Ms. Christie handled Wade's alcoholism and his recovery: depicting the how he started drinking, how he hid it, his recovery, and rejoining "society" after therapy.
Labeled as "young adult".
Topics to discuss/Warnings: heavy issues: underage drinking (& parents allowing it), some pot use, swearing, crass talk (teenage boys . . .), inferred sexual activity between the teens/b.j., a rape (not graphic)
-Borrowed from the library.
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