Losing Forever »

Gayle Friesen's previous novels Janey's Girl and Men of Stone have both garnered critical praise. She lives in Delta, British Columbia.

A half-crazed mother, a lovesick friend, a perfectly evil stepsister — in this novel by Gayle Friesen, could things for Jes get any worse?

VOYA

Fifteen-year-old Jessica thought her life with her seemingly happy parents and adorable two-year-old sister would last forever. After her sister is killed by a car, however, her parents' marriage unravels. When her mother is about to remarry a fellow therapist, his gorgeous teenage daughter, Angela, suddenly moves in with them. Other worries add to her family woes-Jes's friend Dell is in love with a boy no one trusts, and her best friend Sam seems to be falling for Angela. The unpredictability of her life is frightening, and changing her viewpoint is difficult. Jes finds some solace at the lakeside cabin where she and her friends' families spend summers and weekends. More secrets and revelations threaten that peace. A rope tied to a tree allows the kids to swing out from a cliff and drop into the lake, although Jes has never found the courage to do this. Letting go of the rope becomes a symbol for Jes's need to let go of the past and her idea that people should be who she wants them to be, not who they really are. In the end she drops the rope and flies free. In this realistic portrait of a family struggling with the aftereffects of death and especially of divorce, Friesen avoids stereotypes. The dialogue is crisp and sometimes humorous. The last chapters get too talky as Jes and her parents verbally sort out their new situation, but overall this novel is entertaining and illuminating. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2002, Kids Can Press, 248p, Munat