Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl

February 18, 2013
Blythe, in her first book for teens, explores karma, guilt, morality, and taking responsibility for one’s actions. In 1984, 14-year-old Faye lives with her volatile and overworked mother (an immigrant from the Caribbean island of Dominica) near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., where nice and not-so-nice neighborhoods rub shoulders. Faye and two of her friends occasionally mug “pretty, stuck-up girls with loads of extra cash in their pockets,” seeing it as a way to put them in their place. But when they rob Evelyn, an 80-year-old former film star, and injure her, Faye decides that she’s gone too far. Both lonely, Faye and Evelyn develop an unexpected friendship, connecting over Evelyn’s secrets and regrets, and the drama Faye endures with friends and at home. While Faye’s narration is strong and increasingly sympathetic as the story goes on, the plot takes some time to unfold and the dialogue can be long-winded. Still, the story provides a thoughtful glimpse of what it’s like to reevaluate one’s life at any age. Ages 12–up. Agent: Katie Shea, Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Starred review from March 15, 2013
Disregard the awkward and misleading title. This exhilarating, generous-hearted tale with a smart, funny, caustically observant protagonist is about so much more than revenge: distinguishing what matters from what doesn't, taking risks, making mistakes and paying for them. Faye, 14, and her troubled, abusive mother, a domestic worker, live in Brooklyn. It's 1984; adrift and at risk, Faye engages in petty crime with two other girls. While robbing an elderly white woman rumored to have once been a movie star, Faye knocks her to the floor. Later, Faye can't stop thinking about her. Has Faye killed her? Is that why her life's going badly? Two days later, Faye returns, finding the woman still on the floor but alive, and she chooses to help her. A frail friendship is born. Taking conscious action nurtures Faye's self-respect, expands her horizons and transforms her relationships. Her actions affect others, causing them to take action that affects her, insights prompting forgiveness and understanding. She realizes she's been applying the same superficial judgments--good-looking equals better--she objects to when applied to her. (Like Siobhan Vivian in The List (2012), Blythe explores issues of physical appearance in rare depth.) Some mistakes aren't fixable, Faye learns, but she'll keep trying to fix them anyway. Solidly grounded in the gritty realities of daily life, Faye's discoveries feel earned. A compelling and believable journey. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-Faye, 14, feels worthless and oppressed. Her father, a struggling musician, left her and her mother years earlier, her mother is full of anger and takes it out on the teen, and her two neighborhood friends have convinced her that if you aren't attractive, the only way to make it in life is to take what you want. The novel, which is set in 1984 Brooklyn, opens with Faye and her friends staking out a former movie star's apartment so they can take her money. The robbery goes awry and the elderly lady ends up sprawled across the floor. Faye finds herself returning to the scene of the crime a few days later. What ensues is a journey to find herself. Faye befriends the old woman and begins to question her life choices. Faye's mother is realistically flawed, as are all of the adults in the novel, and Blythe offers no easy solutions for turning one's life around. The tough-talking Faye slips up and her road to maturity isn't smooth. This realistic portrayal of emotions, decisions, and hardships will appeal to teens who are also struggling with their identities.-Tammy Turner, Centennial High School, Frisco, TX

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