If all the world’s a stage, Andrea Anderson is sitting in the audience. High school has its predictable heroes, heroines, villains, and plotlines, and Andrea has no problem guessing how each drama will turn out. She is, after all, a professional spectator. In the social hierarchy she is a Nothing, and at home her mother runs the show. All Andrea has to do is show up every day and life basically plays out as scripted. Then one day Andrea accepts a job. Honora Menapace–a reclusive neighbor–is sick. As in every other aspect of her life, Andrea’s role is clear: Honora’s garden must be taken care of and her pottery finished, and someone needs to feed her dog, Zena. But what starts out as a simple job yanks Andrea’s back-row seat out from under her. Life is no longer predictable, and nothing is what it seems. Light is dark, villains are heroes, and what she once saw as ugly is too beautiful for words. Andrea must face the fact that life at first glance doesn’t even crack the surface.
With style and brilliance, E.M. Crane's debut novel captures the anxiety and angst that make up the teen years. Though this coming-of-age tale sounds the familiar theme of self-discovery, it refrains from the stereotypical indictment of class systems and concentrates instead on the similarities shared when barriers are finally broken down. Though a first-time author, Crane's prose reflects a maturity of someone who was born into the writing life. Her's is a promising new voice, and one that certainly will be worth hearing.
E.M. Crane's language is lyrical and lovely. It draws you into a deep, meaningful story. Honora Menapace, Andrea and even the drooling,loveable dog, Zena, stayed with me long after I closed the book. The characters felt so real that I continue to think about them. This is a satisfying, touching read. I can see why it won the Delacorte Press Contest.
A brilliant story of the meaning of true intimacy and how a deep meaningful relationship can curve and shape all that follows on the journey to adulthood.
