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R eview by
Louella Moreland
Jillian Cantor has given readers a delicate coming-of-age story in "The
Life of Glass." She has shown that a story can contain all the heartaches
and searching for identity typical of this genre, but without the cursing,
drinking and heavy sex that occur in some offerings for teens. Teenage angst
will always be a popular tale for young adult readers, and this story offers
all the soul-searching and a beginning love story to make for a satisfying
read.
The novel begins on the night Melissa comes home with the piece of glass
she had found in the wash behind their desert home while out riding bikes
with her best friend, Ryan. Her father was awake when she came home. As she
showed him what she had found, he told her that glass took a million years
to decay. That was one of the things Melissa loved about her father. He knew
all these random and interesting things about life. The next morning he was
dead. His fight against cancer had ended.
Melissa wants to hold on to her father and begins reading his journal,
finding little bits and pieces of secrets that he kept there, while
beginning a journal of her own.
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Life, of course, has changed with his passing. Her beautiful
mother finds a job and begins dating. Her older sister, Ashley,
becomes absorbed in her boyfriend and beauty pageants. A new girl
who arrives at school befriends Melissa but starts dating Ryan,
which leaves Melissa out in the cold without her best friend.
It takes a near tragedy to make her realize that living and
loving in the present is as important as remembering the past. It
teaches her that being beautiful on the outside doesn't mean someone
can't be beautiful on the inside as well.
The novel's elements aren't really new ground, but Cantor gives
us characters that are so beautifully flawed we can forgive the
loose ends. Melissa and her sister especially ring true in their
sibling squabbles and sudden empathy.
For those looking for a reflective story, "The Life of Glass"
will give the reader a few thoughts to chew on. For this and other
great realistic teen literature, stop by the Lincoln Public Library
Annex and browse the shelves of young adult materials.
[Text from file received from
Louella Moreland,
Lincoln Public Library District]
(Ms. Lou's blog:
lincolnpubliclibraryupdates.blogspot.com) |
