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Trisha (Trish) Garrity is a sweet, studious, and super shy junior in high school with a serious crush on a boy named Rick. With only one female "bestie" and a single, working mother, Trish has limited confidantes. No one tells Trish that Rick is a predator, and she is left alone to find out the hard way. As the story unfolds, male classmates JoJo and Jamie help a baffled, ninety-pound Trish navigate the increasingly worldly high school scene, much needed now that her best friend is dating the predator. Gripping plot complications involve Trish's unknown father, forbidden love, and drug deals gone wrong.
Trish grows up in a hurry against the backdrop of the 1970s and the Vietnam War. Cultural references are "right on," especially the era's anti-war songs, Woodstock, and Aretha Franklin. JoJo wears an iconic "Make Love Not War" t-shirt even as his best friend, Jamie, gets drafted. Clever and funny dialogue cinches the voice and slang of this turbulent time, such as "making it" (having sex), "far-out" scenes, and the "Uncola." Clothing follows suit with bell-bottoms, bell sleeves, and paisley minidresses. Camaros, shag carpets, and Marlboros round out the cultural immersion.
Especially impressive are the skillful transitions from past to present as Trish reveals pivotal events that shaped her coping skills and defined her relationship with her mother and with men. Effortless segues from the mother's high school scene to the present keep the tension high and the anticipation strong. Trish, her mother, and her friends are highly relatable characters, painted with empathy and sympathy. The turbulent times of the Vietnam War tinge the tone with authenticity and an underlying realism. Universal themes of family, love, coming to terms with the past, and resilience in the present are expressed beautifully in this coming-of-age novel.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review