Withrow, Sarah. The Black Sunshine of Goody Prynne.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)

[G-E] Groundwood Books/Douglas & McIntyre, 2003. 177p. Gr. 8-12.0-88899-577-6. Pbk. $9.95

This is an unusual book and aptly named. It is rather like a geode--the kind of rock that looks plain and gray and uninteresting at first glance but when split open reveals amazing crystals with all of their facets.

Stevie tells the story from his perspective. His father has recently been killed by a drunk driver and both Stevie and his grieving mother are barely making it through each day. Stevie's one and only friend is Goody Prynne, a moody and overweight classmate who is trying to recover from her parents" divorce. Although this sounds depressing, the means by which Stevie and Goody find their way through to a more hopeful future, and their daily trials and successes, become interesting and compelling.

The characters and situations unfold like a puzzle. Each chapter reveals another piece, which arrives with an "a-ha" moment, like a gift. At first I found this novel difficult to buy into, but as the facets of Stevie's and Goody's personalities and anxieties began to become clearer, it became ...