From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-At 17, Noreen has led an unhappy life, overloaded with conflict. One stormy night, she drives off in her most recent boyfriend's truck and finds her way to a rundown caf‚ in a small Canadian town. It is operated by a sad and impoverished ex-schoolteacher who is raising her young son, Seth, alone. Noreen's talent for trouble, fed by the fires of her careless bravado, soon surface as she endangers the child's dog by feeding it a chicken bone, and moves on to set a real fire in the bungalow she's been offered as a temporary living space. Flashbacks to Noreen's past reveal her rage at her awful parents, whom she hasn't lived with for years, and her depression and carelessness while living with her boyfriend Wesley. As Brooks knows how to show so well, troubled teens are not the only characters with problems. The adults Noreen encounters in this small town have nightmares of their own, reaching back to times long before she blew into town, and little Seth is truly at the mercy of the emotional storm centered all around him. Although Noreen realizes she is pregnant, and loses the baby within the very short time span of this novel, this is not a "pregnant girl problem story." Instead, it is a clear-eyed and clarifying look at the power of community, and the relative inadequacies of any one individual to weather the storms of life alone.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Pembina Lake is a tiny town with more than its share of the world weary. After escaping an abusive marriage, Lynda runs a cafe and is raising a young son; middle-aged Del carries the guilt of his brother's drowning; and Dolores is coping with her daughter's death. Then 17-year-old Noreen rides into town in a stolen truck--screwed up, knocked up, and so beaten by life that her scarred psyche wakes even the sleep-walking souls in the Molly Thorvaldson Cafe. Noreen, who has ruined her relationship with her baby's father, is a sad spirit, who can't catch a break or do the right thing, even on the rare occasions when she wants to. In 10 short days, she nearly kills Lynda's dog, wrecks Del's house, and ruins the restaurant. The writing is plain, with a flatness about it that mirrors the Canadian prairie where the story is set. The style also suits the novel's bleak mood; even the most horrific events seem somehow expected. The characterizations are bare-to-the-bones as well, but the people are so expertly revealed that their pain is palpable. This is particularly true of Noreen, who has not experienced a major tragedy--just the steady erosion of her soul. The baby sparks something in her, but she miscarries. Then, through the alchemy of shared heartache, she begins to reclaim herself. Heartless once; hopeless no more. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
