Fifteen-year-old Callie is so withdrawn that she's not speaking to anyone, including her therapist at the residential treatment facility where her parents and doctor send her after discovering that she cuts herself. Her story unfolds primarily through dramatic monologues, gradually revealing the family turmoil that led to her self-destructive behavior. Callie's efforts to understand herself and her family illuminate her process of recovery honestly and with hope.
Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults (American Library Association)
In this extraordinary first novel, Patricia McCormick gives us a painful glimpse into adolescent mental illness. Callie is a 15-year-old "guest" at Sea Pines, a residential treatment facility that has neither sea nor pines. She is there because she cuts herself. The other residents are an assortment of girls with food, drug, and anger management issues. Clea Lewis gives a remarkable performance. Her truthful, simple narration allows us to understand and empathize with Callie's terrible self-destructive impulse. Her youthful voice is never overstated or overly sentimental. Lewis manages to suggest adults who are flawed, yet believable and caring. While the ending is a little too pat, McCormick's exploration of the sense of power-lessness felt by many young women today is sensitive and wise. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
