20 Boy SummerAuthor: Sarah OcklerGenre: General Novels Publisher: Little, Brown, and Co. Released: June 1, 2009 |
A Review by Kim Lumpkin
05/24/2009
When Anna's budding romance with her best friend's brother Matt is abruptly cut short, her grief is compounded by the confusion and doubt of not knowing what would have become of their relationship. Adding to her feelings of frustration and despair is the promise she made to Matt not to tell Frankie since he wanted to break the news to her himself. This might not seem like a problem once Matt was gone, but to a teenage girl it is a perfectly legitimate and serious dilemma.
A year after Matt's death, Anna is invited to go on a vacation with Frankie's family to Zanzibar Bay. Frankie has changed dramatically, caring less about school and a lot more about boys (the title is a reference to a game she thinks up in an effort to help Anna meet a boy and finally lose her virginity). Anna can tell that Frankie's parents don't seem to have a clue how to reach her, and they are relying on her to help them. Of course Frankie's boy-meeting plans don't go quite as expected, and Anna's love for Frankie and frustration with her antics both come through loud and clear, making their conflicts all the more painful. Ockler sensitively captures the complexities and awkwardness both girls feel as they try to put tragedy behind them without oversentimentalizing or sensationalizing things, letting the characters grow like normal girls rather than the usual teen novel stereotypes.
The small scope of the story is part of its charm; in her promising debut novel, Ockler is not trying to preach or give deep insights into human nature. Ockler simply portrays a significant time period in the lives of two best friends – how it changes them and, just as importantly, how they do not. With just the right mix of teen heartache and humor, and enough drama to keep a teen girl reader engaged, it's pretty much a perfect summer read.
© Copyright CultureCartel.com 05/24/2009
