Borrowed Light

May 29, 2000
Callisto, influenced by her astrophysicist grandmother, views humanity in terms of celestial bodies. She considers herself to be a moon, living off the "borrowed light" of more charismatic individuals, the stars. Now facing an unwanted pregnancy, 16-year-old Callisto has to stop hiding in the shadows and rely on her own judgment. Relayed in the first person, Australian author Feinberg's first YA novel is poetic in both its language and its pacing. The phase between Callisto's pregnancy test and her appointment at an abortion clinic seems to move in slow motion, allowing readers time to grasp and ponder her predicament, her emotions and her complex relationships with her inattentive parents, her science-minded grandmother, her beloved little brother and her callow ex-boyfriend. The ephemeral quality of Fienberg's writing camouflages flaws in the plotting--including the just-in-time introduction of a supportive young man, and Callisto's only occasional and obtuse readings of her mother's revelatory old diaries. The pro-choice message doesn't preclude respect or consideration for other options, and even if audience members disagree with Callisto's decision, they will respect her ability to take charge of her destiny. Ages 14-up.