Grief Girl

April 2, 2007
Writing in an unadorned, journalistic style, Australian writer Vincent recounts the three painful years of her adolescence following the death of both of her parents in an accident. Sandwiched between her older sister Tracy, who is named guardian of the other children, and her much younger brother, Trent, whose memory of his mother and father gradually fades, Erin quietly mourns her loss. At the same time, she struggles with a slew of new, very adult problems: trying to make ends meet and dealing with the resentful attitude of her sister, who is overwhelmed by responsibilities. As the days, months and years go by, Erin's grief surfaces in different ways. She goes through a religious phase (attending church regularly) but eventually gives up on God. At one point, she begins wearing her father's old shirt and a pair of baggy pants to school in place of the traditional uniform. After reading The Bell Jar
, she identifies with Sylvia Plath and wonders if she might be better off in an asylum. Her intimate, honest narrative captures both Erin's strength and vulnerability. Rather than trying to answer questions about how to deal with loss, the author expresses the nature of grief, stressing that quick fixes simply do not exist, and there is no predictable sequence to the grieving process. Ages 14-up.