Beale, Elaine Another Life Altogether
Spiegel&Grav see Random 2010 402p 26.00
978-0-385-53004-0 hs VG
In this coming of age story, Jessie and her family move to a new town where she thinks she can start her life all over again and leave her problems behind. Little did she know that this would not be the case as she and her family battle mental illness, sexuality conflicts and bullying.
Jessie’s mom has been hospitalized for her bipolar disorder and suicide attempts and Jessie tells her friends she is away on a cruise. When the truth comes out, her classmates tease her. Her ineffectual father decides to move the family to a new countryside town and Jessie thinks this will be a new start for herself, too. She becomes friendly with two girls, who she thinks are popular, but are really bullies. They mock and bully a male student and Jessie doesn’t stand up for him at first, but later realizes she must. When she does, her feelings for her friend’s sister, Amanda, are exposed. Meanwhile, Mom is still fighting her mental illness and Jessie desperately wants to love her mom despite her behavior. Jessie is holding back secrets throughout the book: her mother’s illness and her own conflicted sexuality. It is a truly absorbing story, set in 1970’s Britain, but universal in its concepts of teen angst. Beale’s writing is engrossing and true to life as she explores the feelings and insecurities of a teenage girl. Some parts are written in a humorous vein, but the overall story line is quite serious. The ending? Well, it could be happy or not; it seemed open ended to me. Due to its mature themes, this very good book will do best in a high school library. Due to its mature themes, this very good book will do best in a high school library. Weinraub, Tina
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