Castellucci, Cecil. Beige

15-year-old Montreal girl Katy has to spend the summer with her dad in Los Angeles while her mother goes on an archaeological dig in Peru. Oh--and her dad is a legendary punk rock drummer. And she hasn't seen him in a couple years because the last time he was up in Canada, he got kicked out of the country for brining in drugs. It is not a positive way to start out a summer. But because of the kind of novel this is, you know that she will grow to love the people here. This isn't surprising; but it IS surprising that it's done really well.

Some young adult novels seem to unthinkingly take it for granted that of course one's parents are lame, and of course one wants more freedom from them. Katy, on the other hand, seems young for her age, seems like the kind of kid who has to be dragged kicking and screaming from childhood, from insulation. The book is a series of unpleasant truths discovered; but they're not things to Reconcile Oneself To. They're things that bring Katy from relating to people as a child, to relating to people as an adult--which means honesty, and raw emotions, and scary things like that. It's very symbolic, isn't it, that Katy's mom knitted a ton of blankets for the people in her life? That's comfort, and safety, and what Katy wants to cling to. But can't.

Castellucci knows Montreal like I know Montreal. She makes me long to go back there. And it's a great deal of fun reading a novel that makes you say "Oh! I remember that! I love that!" We only get to see Montreal in Katy's remembrances, but I for one would love a sequel. It wouldn't even need to have a plot. It could just have Katy hanging around Montreal doing Montreal-type things.

I was curious about one thing. I am sure that Castellucci has done bucketloads of research and is way more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than I am, but: Guitar Center? Really? Raleigh isn't a L.A. or Nashville or Seattle but there are half a dozen music stores that I would go to in preference to the corporateness of Guitar Center. Maybe the one in L.A. is better?

Anyway, good book, loved it (maaaybe not quite to the extent of Boy Proof?), it made me cry.