Edges

Roy, granddaughter of the late Madeleine L'Engle, makes a mixed debut with the intersecting stories of Luke and Ava, whose lives are affected by alcoholism. Luke's father, Frank, long sober, returns to drinking after Luke's mother dies in a car accident; Ava takes it up after her grandmother's death. Now a student at Columbia University, Ava is struggling to stay sober via AA meetings and has alienated herself from her parents, who run a hostel in Utah—to which Luke, unable to live with Frank's alcoholism, escapes. While the alternating stories unfold nicely, the book suffers from some clumsiness. The heavy reliance on AA culture brings it dangerously close to sounding like an infomercial for the program, with statements like "We drunks seem to have a hard time accepting any love that isn't the perfect fit." Recurring visions of a mystical bear, seen by several characters, create a confusingly hazy aura of spirituality. To Roy's credit, she avoids turning the novel into the expected love story and keeps it focused on the teenagers trying to reconcile their feelings for their families. Ages 12–up. (Dec.)