13

Do you remember what it's like to be 13? Mary-Lou Zeitoun remembers - and how! She captures the angst-filled world of a teenager in all its painful glory in 13, a wonderfully original story by this first time novelist. 13 should do for teenagers what Harry Potter did for children of all ages. Give them characters they can identify with and get them discovering the wonderful world of reading.The year is 1980 and Marnie Harmon hates her real world. "My [bedroom] window looked out on a dumb view...Nothing to see but other people's swimming pools and petunia borders. 'Marnie, don't be so Negative,' my mother always said. Mom would get mad at Anne Frank for being scared of the Nazis. She would think Anne Frank was being 'Negative'." Pg. 8.No boring teenspeak here. Marnie is a straight-A student with razor sharp wit and the insight to go with it. Or does she? She is only 13 and besides one or two friends, she only finds comfort in dreams of meeting John Lennon. How realistic is that? Very realistic when your 13, confused about boys, parents, your life in the suburbs and one of your friends is a stripper. Perhaps dreams not only provide escape, they are necessary. Marnie might think her life is mediocre but I found it original, fun-filled, and Zeitoun's insight into her main character, thought provoking. Zeitoun has given Marnie a burgeoning feminist voice and strength which women twice her age could only dream of. "[Dad] goes to a church that won't let women be priests so he was not on my side. He'd stop the prejudice if he was on my side...Dad once said...it would take two hundred more years for women to have equality so why did I bother fighting so much? That's not true. One day women didn't have the vote, the next day they did. It took one day. Sometimes it takes overnight." Page 114-5No wonder Marnie wants to run away to New York to meet the man she imagines John Lennon to be. Zeitoun has wonderfully interwoven real events into her main character's lives, for 1980 proves to be as "eventful" for John Lennon as it does for Marnie. I suspect there is a semi-autobiographical truth to 13's contents.13 reminds us of our own youthful fantasies, our personal battles, and if we're old enough, disco, polyester and the days before the words "politically correct" entered our vocabulary. Mary-Lou Zeitoun's debut novel has just been chosen one of Canada's Now Magazine's Top 10 books of 2002.

Superbly written....funny, smart and angstful. Mary-Lou Zeitoun captures PERFECTLY, through her main character Marnie, that time in our lives when EVERYTHING we experience is either painfully heartbreaking or unbelievably exciting.Ah, the confusion and magic of adolescence! Zeitoun's bitterly funny humour and awkward teen voice is so perfect that I felt as though the book was being read to me by a 13 year old girl. It'll break your heart, and it'll make you howl. Well done, Mary-Lou!

Mary-Lou Zeitoun clearly remembers the angst and excitement of the teen years. In "13", her brilliantly witty first novel, Zeitoun tells the story of Marnie, a precocious teen who doesn't fit in with the bland, drab suburban life, either at home or at school. Zeitoun's vivid, clever writing makes the reader see and feel the world the way Marnie does. Anyone who has ever been 13, or felt out of step in high school (or at any point in his/her life), will read this book with a sense of recognition and delight that someone has finally been able to express what s/he thought in those days. A remarkable, confident first novel by a fresh, new voice.

After reading 13 I'm thinking vitriolic lead character Marnie would have eaten Holden Caulfield for breakfast. Zeitoun delivers a funny, acerbic account of a girl dealing with the burden of teenhood. Zeitoun's brutal honesty captures all the awkwardness and pain of adolescence, and her style and scathing sense of humour put it all into perspective. Zeitoun is truly a vibrant, exciting new voice.

"13" was hilarious ! I remember when I was 13 and I only did half that stuff. This book is well written with great one-liners. It is a must for any Mother who has a 13 year old daughter or son.CB