I do love a good short story. I appreciate the challenge it poses to create a complete, complex character based on one moment in time.
In this collection, Norma Fox Mazer creates women ages 13-18 and in one case, the journey of a young girl in Poland who forges a new life for herself as a teen, then adult in New York City.
What's special about these women is the complex characters created in just a few pages:
Louise, an 18-year-old accepting her fate as terminal cancer ravages her body and memory, while those around her avoid answering questions.
Jessie, through a series of diary entries, chronicles her contentious first relationship and the steps she takes to find her own voice.
Zoe, celebrating her 14th birthday and trying to break free of the watchful eye of her mother, aunt, and grandmother.
Marylee, dealing with her parents' marriage breaking up and setting boundaries with a demanding boyfriend of her own.
Kathy, attempting to write a letter to Bill, her sister's old boyfriend and her first crush.
These characters are more complex than the typical romance novel protagonists; they are fully-fleshed out individuals with unusual home lives, often lower to middle class, not living out a fantasy of unlimited resources and wardrobes, flawless skin, winnin the popularity contest.
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