With his mother in the hospital after a botched suicide attempt, fifteen-year-old Charlie goes to live with his mother's best friend, twenty-six-year-old Jolene. Somewhere in the midst of tickle fights and hugging and joking around, Jolene's guardianship of Charlie unravels, and soon they are both irrevocably lost in an affair that neither one is ready for, but that neither one is ready to resist. A sharp, witty first novel.--Playboy; A promising debut.--Publishers Weekly.
excerpts from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
Here are some reviews of this very enjoyable book: excerpt from KIRKUS REVIEWS (June 15, 1995): An unobtrusive and extraordinarily controlled narrative voice . . . Spatz has no real surprises in store, but, instead, wisely concentrates on the niceties of description and characterization rather than plot. What we are left with finally is a marvelously quiet evocation (as opposed to narration) of a young man's awakening. Simple, precise, and rewarding work, nicely understated and free from contrivance. excerpt from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (June 19, 1995): [Spatz's] story engages the reader with the compelling parallel voyages of self-discovery undertaken not just by the moody protagonist but also by Jolene, Angel and Mary, three fully drawn women on very different paths. excerpt from PLAYBOY (review written by Digby Diehl): A sharp, witty first novel about a boy with a troubled mother and his affair with her best friend. I recommend this book enthusiastically.
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