Things Left Unsaid

Sarah is not unlike other teens; she’s interested in shopping, boys, and her girlfriends. However, she is tired of her predictable life and is “looking for something.” The “something” she finds is Robin-a defiant, tough-talking girl who smokes, vandalizes, and wears nothing but black. Sharing an affinity to buck authority, the two become fast friends. Even Sarah isn’t sure why she has given up her friends and lost herself. She posits, “-I often choose to be the plastic doll on bended knee, throwing other people’s words out my mouth. Why do I surrender my voice like that?” When Robin attempts suicide, Sarah slowly returns to her former self, realizing that she may have wanted to be different, but not that different. Hemphill has her pacing and character development down pat. She takes Sarah from August through the end of her junior year, alternating shorter and longer passages effectively, showing a life peppered with despair, romance, and confusion. The teen’s friendships (both destructive and healthy) shape who she becomes. In the end, she displays not only hope, but growth, as she invites the destructive Robin to “forge new footprints” with her and turn her back on the “skeletons of disappointment and unhappiness.” Readers don’t know what will happen, but they do have a better idea of who Sarah is through this telling final poem. A thought-provoking read.-Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.