Enny and Orph are friends in grade school; bright and idiosyncratic, both are outcasts, but Orph helps Enny learn to face down the bullies who torment her with stories full of hate and pain. In the next of five chapters that move ever deeper into Orph's story, and its resonance with the myth of Orpheus, Enny describes their reunion in their teens, when she becomes Orph's manager. She helps Orph break away from an unsavory band (her hit is "It Makes Me Sick"—she literally vomits); they gather three more musicians and, in believable detail, become a success. Meanwhile, Orph falls in love with Yuri, a recovering addict, as lyrically recounted in chapter three; seeing her vomit on stage makes him realize that she voices his own angst and propels him to a cure; friends, then lovers, they decide to marry. Since each chapter covers a similar period (though the focus grows more intimate), the tragic conclusion is foreshadowed several times before the full account of the wedding, when Yuri's old "friends" trick him into taking drugs and lead him irretrievably away; and when Orph expresses her grief in concert, she is crushed by her mesmerized fans. The parallels here are intriguing; more, they enrich the modern tragedy. The mythic quality is enhanced by Voigt's carefully controlled focus: the luxuriant details of family and setting that she usually includes have been scrupulously excised. A powerful novel—brief and deceptively easy to read—that's fashioned with imagination and skill. (Fiction. 14+)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-689-31771-9
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1992
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Marcus is black and Eddie white in a multicultural Long Island neighborhood. Known to all as “Black and White,” they have honed their athletic skills together and are in the midst of a basketball season headed to the playoffs and scholarships to good colleges. They know each other’s timing and rhythm and feel complete trust in each other. However, off the court they have decided to supplement their income by holding up strangers for money for senior activities and the latest athletic shoes. Using Grandpa’s gun from Eddie’s attic, both think their initial success means invincibility. The nightmare that ensues when Eddie inadvertently hits the trigger—and their victim—becomes the playing field for the author’s exploration of how much difference race can make in the fate of each boy and their friendship. Rather than exploring the issue of race by pretending it doesn’t exist, Volponi points directly at it, illustrating at every turn that the race of the various characters influences events as well as whether Marcus will end up in prison alone. Consequences for everyone unfold and escalate in rapid-fire fashion. Hugely discussable. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-670-06006-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
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