Friday Spines Fresh Review: Jumping Off Swings

Friday Spines Fresh Review:

Jumping Off Swings, by Jo Knowles

New Feature: Fresh Reviews, of books I've just finished. These may or may not be updated and expanded in a few months, once I've had time to get over the traumatic ending/horrid plot/main character's cute boyfriend and can be literarily objective. I just read this book yesterday on the plane (coming home from Seattle--see blog here!).

Jumping Off Swings is a book about teen pregnancy. It's also a book about alcohol abuse; relationships with peers, parents, and non-parental adults; how sexism relates to sexuality, as well as teen sexuality; bullying; abortion; and coming-of age. Combined with the narrative, which switches between four friends, the read is a little choppy.

I certainly don't think that plots should be developed in a vacuum: Stories can't be untangled from all other aspects of life without also removing the life from the story itself. Protagonists need antagonists, goals need setbacks, epic journeys to destroy rings in fiery mountains need Golems, orc raids, and giant spiders. Once authors have mastered aspects of writing such as creating a distinct voice, suspense, or conflict between characters, having one or more subplots can make the read all the more enjoyable. However, tackling (even subconsciously) the amount of issues addressed in the 230 pages of Jumping Off Swings leaves less callous readers overwhelmed and in turmoil.

SPOILERS

Ellie gets pregnant by virgin Josh at a party. She decides not to have an abortion, breaks the news of her pregnancy to her strict, conservative parents, and becomes friends with Caleb (a shy boy who's been crushing on her for a while). Corrine, Ellie's best friend, is her main source of support through the story, until Caleb (Josh's best friend, at the beginning of the book) becomes better friends with Corrine and then Ellie. Caleb's mom stands in as a mother figure for Ellie, whose mother is unwilling to accept her daughter's decision.

Caleb and Corrine fall in love. Josh remains distant from Ellie and Corinne through the whole story but is still given a point of view--I don't really see why. His narration doesn't give us that much insight into his character and doesn't impact the story that much, as he has limited contact with Caleb and doesn't speak to Corrine or Ellie at all. This doesn't change at all, through the whole book--Josh doesn't develop enough as a character to have a voice in the story; he's more of a prop to start the story of Ellie's pregnancy than a character in his own right. It bothers me that he and Ellie have no emotional relationship through the whole book: They

END OF SPOILER

That said, please read this book. It follows the story of Ellie, a fairly average high school girl with a reputation as a slut. Although in a way this is accurate (she often hooks up with boys at parties) we're given a deeper view into her rationale for her behavior near the beginning of the book. It challenges the conflicting sexual expectations of teen boys and girls and explores teen pregnancy. The complicated themes make it great for a discussion book--you should pick a book with a theme similar to one of those in Jumping Off Swings, to help focus the discussion.

I recommend the book for ages 16 and up--I was on the plane when I finished it, and I started crying at the ending--not only is it rather traumatic, but can be absolutely overwhelming for younger readers. Alcoholism is another thing present but not addressed directly in the book; many of the characters' home lives are impacted by alcoholic parents, and the parties Ellie and her friends attend are adult-less and rather drunken.

Themes (yes, a new feature! I was having a conversation with my mom about books, and decided on a few basic categories for YA fiction. Overview post of this feature coming soon!):

• Teen pregnancy
• Present/supportive adults
• Drinking/drugs
• Tangled friendships
• Communication

You might also like: After, by Amy Efaw; How It Ends, by Lauren Weiss; and Looking for Alaska, by John Green.

Happy reading--check back on Monday for the next Friday Spines book!

Book Review: The Truth About Forever

Friday Spines Book Review:

The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen

This is one of the first books by Sarah Dessen that I read. The first thing I fell in love with was the title, the second was the cover (I know, but still), and before I could think about anything the story had completely sucked me in.

Macy is not perfect. This might seem obvious, but as she goes deeper into her life, taking us along through agile and concise flashbacks, we see that perfection is by no means an anomaly in Macy's existence. Her boyfriend is the most obvious example: Jason is exhaustingly academic, well-rounded, eternally clean, and so politely careful that the reader will be rolling their eyes in exasperation every time his name is mentioned. (I'm serious.) Macy, however, is grateful for the sense of security that the blandly consistent Jason adds to her reeling life.

About three years before the start of a novel, Macy's father--a running coach--went for his early-morning run, which Macy usually joined him on. That day, though, she stayed in bed. Five minutes later, when she dragged herself out of the house to go after him, he'd had a heart attack and died at the hospital soon after. She gave up running, which had been her passion for years, completely, and her life was at a standstill. And that was where Jason came in.

But this summer, Jason has left for Brain Camp, and Macy's left at home with her strict, work-obsessed mother. This changes when she's offered a job at Wish, a topsy-turvy catering company. Her job at the library info desk--filling in for Jason--proves to be utterly boring, and Macy lets herself be absorbed into the comforting chaos of Wish.

There she joins Delia, the hugely pregnant owner; Kristy, who's a little older than Macy and obsessed with fashion (in a good way); Monica--aka Monotone--who has three phrases: bettaquit, mmmm-hmmm, and donneven; Bert, an EOW (end-of-worlder; obsessed with armageddon); and his brother Wes, who can be described in one word: sa-woon.

Macy is not a romantic heroine, though. She plays Truth with Wes all summer instead of dumping Jason (who suggested they "take a break" after Macy signed an email with "I love you") to be with the "tortured artist", as she describes Wes. Foreshadowing has us constantly waiting for a Moment between Wes and Macy. Although Sarah Dessen supplies many Perfect Opportunities, she knows just when to let them pass to keep her readers waiting. 

The content of this book isn't that mature. Grief, love, and teenage angst play major parts in the story, but they are handled in a way that readers will only get out of the book what they can deal with. Macy does attend one underage-drinking party: Although it's completely out of the ordinary for her and she does get grounded by her mom, the party itself isn't described in a negative light. Something to think about. I recommend Forever for ages 13 and up: Younger readers may lose interest as the book is slower-paced.

Other things I like about this book:

• The contrasting themes: Macy's home life is pristine and orderly, which makes her time at Wish louder, brighter, and more appealing.
• The cover, again, is quite romantic and perfect for its audience, as are the pictures on all of Sarah Dessen's books.
• Macy and Wes's game of Truth is very fun to read about. Another game that runs throughout the book is "Gotcha", which is exactly what it sounds like: Wes and Bert are constantly trying to scare each other, and Macy is inadvertently drawn into their efforts.
• Macy's memories play a fairly large part in the story. Although it may take a minute for the reader to adjust to the current setting, these flashbacks generally aren't confusing, and add a lot to the book.

You might also like: The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han; Two-Way Street, by Lauren Barnholdt; Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta; and other books by Sarah Dessen.

All links lead to Goodreads.

Happy reading--don't forget to check back Monday for the announcement of the next review!

M. Gabrielle

Book Review: Unfluffy books, part 2: Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen

“Are you crazy? It’s a common phrase, I know. But it means something particular to me: the tunnels, the security screens, the plastic forks, the shimmering, ever-shifting borderline that like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed. I do not want to cross it again” (159). 

The first thing I have to say about this book is don't try to expect it. You can't, even if you've heard about it from your friends or on Goodreads; even if you've seen the movie (although admittedly I've only watched a bit of it) this book is starkly and consciously shocking. 

(For the record, I've had no experience with anything similar to Susanna's experience.)

Two things have kept this story fresh over the 15+ years since it's been published (and around 50 years since it happened). The first-- Susanna's story is certainly unsettling and evocative, especially as psychology evolves and treatments for depression, bipolar disorder, etc evolve farther away from what's written about here. The second is the writing. Girl, Interrupted could easily be a novel--I have to repeatedly remind myself that it's not, due to the sense of plot, and vivid past tense narration that will keep you enthralled through the whole story. It's probably a good thing that this book is nonfiction, otherwise I'd need to spend half the review rambling about the incredibly developed, distinct-voiced characters, and the vivid setting. A partial lack of author voice that reveals a whole new layer to the character, format--the narration skips between memories, sarcastic yet curiously blank lists and definitions, and deliberate side-notes, like small personal reflections scattered through the book. It may take several tries to let yourself be sucked into this book, pushing down the sense of foreboding in your stomach and ignoring your tumblr and Facebook notifications, settling into Susanna's quiet but bold voice as she pulls you under with her.

I'd recommend this book for ages 16 and up. The book is fairly disturbing in content--not a lot of language or smoking/drinking, but the twisted stories of the characters aren't appropriate for younger readers. (I'm guessing my own opinion of this book will evolve over time--I'm hoping to do another review of this book in a few years.) It's helpful if you're one of those lucky people who's able to keep their social/work lives and reading lives separate: As with The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green, the power of this book left me slightly traumatized and wobbly for a few days after I read it. 

Other things I liked about this book:

• The short length of the book matched the at-times harsh brevity of its voice. It makes the content more digestible for readers. 
• While exploring the stories and minds of her fellow patients, the author eloquently combines fact about their backgrounds and actions with her own musings on their situations.
• The cover of my edition matches the story perfectly. Just as striking as the book itself, the cover mirrors the shattered story inside, told in pieces of an isolated life.
• Even though Susanna's story is completely different from that of most readers, there are sudden moments where we can completely empathize with her.

Happy reading--see you on Monday!

M. Gabrielle