Both Sides Now

Pennebaker's (Don't Think Twice) bittersweet novel about a 15-year-old's attempt to cope with her mother's breast cancer combines convincing characters and near-perfect pacing. When her mother's follow-up exam reveals that her cancer has returned, Liza follows the example of her positive-thinking father who tells Liza and her younger sister, Jane, that everything will be fine and that they must all be strong. Readers will quickly see what Liza, the narrator, cannot--that she uses what she calls her optimism to hide her fears and feelings, even from herself. But Liza's behavior shows the effects of the strain. She flunks driver's training and, worse, neglects to edit a controversial article for the school paper (which results in the resignation of her favorite teacher). Pennebaker skillfully builds the tensions in her plot, so that readers can practically pinpoint the moment that Liza will have her meltdown. From this moment of crisis Liza begins to learn to express her emotions. She begins to appreciate her mother's quiet strength, realizing that her mother is not, after all, weak or overly sensitive or high-strung. Liza's mother periodically weighs in with short narratives, chronicling her own search for a voice and her gradual acceptance of her disease. Through these passages, readers hear another perspective on the characters and realize how truly complex they are. Moving and realistic, this taut novel trades a happy ending for one both honest and empowering. Ages 12-up. (June)