Just Listen (review)

Though she stars in a department store commercial as the "girl who has everything," Annabel Greene is anything but—after being dumped by her best friend, Sophie, and spending the summer in self-imposed isolation, Annabel returns for her sophomore year only to discover that Sophie's vicious rumors have succeeded in getting Annabel excommunicated from her social circle. The now-friendless Annabel finds herself sitting at lunch with fellow outcast Owen Armstrong, known to Annabel for his suspension for fighting and his ubiquitous iPod; Owen and Annabel eventually strike up an unlikely but intense friendship. Fresh from Anger Management classes, Owen strives always to tell the truth even when it might hurt feelings, while Annabel never speaks up—not about the fact that she's tired of modeling but doesn't want to let her mother down, and especially not about what really happened the night Sophie dumped her. Fresh yet familiar characters, the mix of sincerity and self-doubt in Annabel's narration, and skillfully interwoven subplots (including Annabel's sister's eating disorder) combine in an effectively powerful and touching narrative. Owen's quest to make Annabel appreciate his own "enlightened" musical sensibilities (from sea shanties to esoteric compositions featuring the sound of a dripping faucet) is endearingly geeky, and their eventual romance is all the sweeter for their ultimately incompatible tastes. While the characters grow (Annabel ultimately speaks out about her near-rape by Sophie's boyfriend), they nevertheless maintain their signature frailties—Owen's newfound ability to manage his anger doesn't mean he's above the occasional relapse. That the relapse involves punching Annabel's assaulter in the eye is an only slightly guiltily pleasurable conclusion to this complex novel about friendship and the power and limits of honesty.