Life in Miniature

In Schlossberg's eloquent debut, Adie, a wistful girl comes uneasily of age in 1980s California. Adie lives with Miriam, her older sister, and Mindy, their single mother, who has a nervous breakdown. Afterwards, it's like living at the epicenter of a continual earthquake as they, fueled by Mindy's instability and paranoia, embark on a near-nomadic existence. Enhanced by Adie's plucky perspective (on keeping family secrets: "If someone brings that up, just change the subject") and her close relationship with Miriam, the tale intensifies further when Miriam runs away with her boyfriend, leading Adie to an illuminating journey of discovery. With its echoes of Mona Simpson's Anywhere but Here, this is a solid beginning for Schlossberg; nuanced, moving, and surely a cut above the standard coming-of-age. (Dec.)