Michael lives with his aunt in a small, yellow, stucco house between
two mansions. On one side the mansion appears empty, on the other
lives Bunny Lampert and her real estate developer father who
is an incipient alcoholic. He knows her because they attend the
same high school, but until the day she finds him smoking in her
yard, they don’t know each other. Bunny is tall, over six feet,
blond and rich. Michael is small with a pony tail. He tries to be
straight, but he thinks he’s gay. In fact, he tells Bunny that the
first time they meet.
Both teens are
outsiders, lonely and looking for friendship. They remain supportive
of each other through a brutal attack and the subsequent fallout.
They survive, but their stories are surprising.
This is a character
driven story that is at times not easy to read although it is true to
the problems of the teenage protagonists. Teens often have trouble
coming to terms with who they are. This is particularly true for
Bunny and Michael who have more problems with their personal
adjustment than most teens.
The writing is
beautiful and the portraits of these teens are unflinching. An added
benefit in the story is that Bunny is a female athlete. Her desire
for Olympic fame and the tragic end are in many ways true to life.
Neither teen has it easy, but together they survive.
I received this book
from Knopf for this review.
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