Publishers Weekly
Violet Gwendolyn Hitchcock, called "Let" by her friends, is the disarming 16-year-old narrator of Ratcliffe's engrossing first novel. Let is searching for "the shine" (an elusive feeling of "grace"), but she looks in all the wrong places. Nevertheless, she maintains an aura of innocence even as she slowly surrenders to a downward spiral of alcohol, drugs and sex. The author sustains sympathy for her heroine by making readers privy to the obsessive thoughts that begin to drown out the girl's rational impulses, as well as the sense of humor that keeps her afloat. For instance, as Henry, the 19-year-old man of her dreams, begins to pressure Let sexually, she says to herself, "The thing was, I did want to be with him, just not quite like that. Not quite so all at once. I guess I was wanting at least a first date." Other scenes in which a note of comedy takes the edge off of Let's fears: her best friend, CJ, instructs her on how to apply a condom, and her first time snorting coke. But the cumulative effect of Let's breezy tone has strange repercussions when, inevitably, tragedy does strike: readers may come away ultimately unruffled by the event. Ratcliffe also sets up the novel as a flashback, and Let's judgment in hindsight occasionally detracts from the developing action. Still, readers will keep the pages turning as this credible protagonist chronicles her disturbing descent. Ages 14-17. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
In this realistic, young adult novel, 16 year old Violet (Let), struggles with her wealthy but dysfunctional family and two potential boyfriends. One of them is older and sophisticated, but also dangerous and unreliable;while the other is a seeker of the "shine," like Let. As the novel progresses, Let's search for the "shine," or "that trippy kind of grace that some people just seem to be born with," leads her to experiment with drugs, alcohol and sex, and eventually to a tragic accident. Written in a breezy, irreverent, first-person style, the novel is fast-moving and exciting. However, the mature subject matter and strong and somewhat weird language might be objectionable to some readers. 2001, Holt, $`16.95. Ages 15 up. Reviewer:Gisela Jernigan
School Library Journal
Gr 8-11-Violet, known to friends as Let, gets a brand-new car for her 16th birthday. She has begun to look for what she calls "the shine," which is her way of describing people and feelings that are strong and powerful. She meets Henry, an older boy with a wild streak, and believes he has this "shine." She also meets Ryder, who seems to be searching as well. Henry is distant, hard, and dangerous; Ryder is gentle, earthy, and drinks too much whiskey. With these two boys, Let steps into a spiral of drugs and alcohol that whirls out of control, into what she describes as a "free fall." Her dysfunctional parents, who are dealing with their own issues, seem unaware that she has begun this decline, even when her new car is dented. Let's brother, Logan, is troubled as well, and adds turmoil to her family. This morality play, set in Detroit's ultra-rich suburbs, features unsupervised teens drinking, partying, and doing drugs. There's sex, plenty of street language, but also a search for spirituality and God. Ratcliffe has done a good job of opening Let's mind to readers, but the book tries to answer too many questions. Teens will relate to Let's precarious search for meaning, but may not have the patience to ramble along to the book's tragic ending.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In a truly directionless descent, this disturbing discourse plunges steadily downward beginning with the end, as Violet "Let" Hitchcock, recovering in the hospital, the cause of her injuries unknown, chronicles the events leading up to her admittance. The cast of characters is comprised of Let's sexually starved mother; her emotionally challenged father; her best friend CJ, who downs any alcohol or illicit drug; her brother Logan, an angry young man with no sense of future; boyfriend #1, Henry, a rich, love-'em-and-leave-'em bad boy; and boyfriend #2, Ryder, a Thoreau wannabe. Besides Let's inexplicable obsession for praying roadkill into Heaven, her search for individuals with the shine-"that trippy kind of grace some people just seem to be born with"-and flip-flopping between Henry and Ryder to determine who has true shine, her story seems aimless and purposeless. In essence, first-timer Ratcliffe presents one degenerate escapade after another in which Let, CJ, Logan, Henry, and Ryder engage in meaningless drunkenness, drug abuse, and sex, and learn nothing from their experiences. For realistic, hard-hitting fiction about a young woman making tough choices about relationships, stick to Sarah Dessen's "Dreamland "(2000). "(Fiction. YA)"
