Fade Far Away

Fifteen-year-old Sienna, a budding artist, is proud to be the daughter of renowned sculptor Hugh Scully. But she has always felt distant from him and Marianna, her mother (""I don't think they ever viewed themselves as parents. They were too absorbed in the art world, and in each other""). When Hugh is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, Sienna is determined to make a connection with her father before it is too late. While Marianna is out of town, Sienna agrees to drive Hugh to his favorite refuge, Birch Cove Island. Traveling from Pennsylvania to Maine (with a side trip to Manhattan), she learns more than she bargained for about Hugh's extramarital affairs, his lost dreams and the compromises he made to achieve fame. She also makes some realizations about herself and her own artwork. This emotionally charged coming-of-age story borrows the glamorous trappings of the art world, taking in--albeit simplistically--the politics and oversize egos there. Lantz (Someone to Love) deftly trails Sienna's loss of innocence as she becomes aware of her father's physical and psychological limitations and learns to accept them (""Hugh Scully will never need me the way I need him, will never love me completely and unconditionally, will never be the parent I want him to be""). Although Hugh fails as a father, he emerges as a successful mentor, leaving his daughter--and the audience--with a potent warning: ""Don't follow me.... The road I took will lead you away from feelings, from life. Let yourself experience the world."" Ages 12-up. (Aug.)