Module 4/SLIS 5420/June 28 - July 3
Bibliography
Dessen, Sarah. 2004. The Truth about Forever. New York: Penguin Group
ISBN: 0-670-03639-0
Summary
Macy is in search of perfection. A year-and-a-half after her father dies, Macy seeks to put order and control back into her life - even if it means she is barely living it. She has the perfect boyfriend, the perfect grades and perfect job at the library for her college transcripts. But, when the staff of Wish catering (and more specifically a boy named Wes) whirl into her life, she might learn that perfection is last on her list of priorities.
My Impressions
The first 50 pages or so were a bit slow - but after that, the story picks up and I couldn't put it down. Dessen does a great job of weaving a believable summer romance that keeps you turning the pages, but also focuses on the issues that Macy is facing with her family and her emotions. After realizing that she is sacrificing herself for the pursuit of perfection, Macy's character really opens up and comes alive.
Reviews
School Library Journal: Grade 7 Up– "Macy, 16, witnessed her father's death, but has never figured out how to mourn. Instead, she stays in control–good grades, perfect boyfriend, always neat and tidy–and tries to fake her way to normal. Then she gets a job at Wish Catering. It is run by pregnant, forgetful Delia and staffed by her nephews, Bert and Wes, and her neighbors Kristy and Monica. "Wish" was named for Delia's late sister, the boys' mother. Working and eventually hanging out with her new friends, Macy sees what it's like to live an unprescripted lifestyle, from dealing with kitchen fires to sneaking out at night, and slowly realizes it's not so bad to be human. Wes and Macy play an ongoing game of Truth and share everything from gross-outs to what it feels like to watch someone you love die. They fall in love by talking, and the author sculpts them to full dimension this way. All of Dessen's characters, from Macy, who narrates to the bone, to Kristy, whose every word has life and attitude, to Monica, who says almost nothing but oozes nuance, are fully and beautifully drawn. Their dialogue is natural and believable, and their care for one another is palpable. The prose is fueled with humor–the descriptions of Macy's dad's home-shopping addiction are priceless, as is the goofy bedlam of catering gigs gone bad–and as many good comedians do, Dessen uses it to throw light onto darker subjects. Grief, fear, and love set the novel's pace, and Macy's crescendo from time-bomb perfection to fallible, emotional humanity is, for the right readers, as gripping as any action adventure."–Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library
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Booklist: Gr. 9-12. "Dessen returns to a familiar theme and recognizable characters: the "perfect" girl at odds with a controlling mother and keeping boys at arm's length because of father issues. Here the girl is Macy Queen. Her father has died, her mother can't grieve, and every time Macy tries to break out of the automaton state in which she is trapped, Mrs. Queen reels her back. Macy gets a job with a catering company, whose employees mirror and mask similar emotions to her own--among them, a girl who is scarred on the outside, but not on the inside, and two motherless brothers, the older of whom, Wes, helps Macy break through. As is often the case with Dessen, the novel is a mixed bag. Much of it is wonderful. At its purest, the writing reaches directly into the hearts of teenage girls: Macy's games of "truth" with Wes are unerringly conceived, sharply focused on both characters and issues. Yet a subplot about Macy's job at the library features cardboard characters and unbelievable situations. This seesawing between spot-on observations and superfluous scenes slows the pace and makes readers wait too long for the book's best moments." Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Suggested Library Use
This one is another great book for a summer reading book club and even a book talk. The summer romance aspect and the fact that this book is a page-turner will make it the perfect summer read for a teen girl.
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