The Opposite of Invisible (review)

Alice has been content with her comfortable life in the shadow: she adores her best (male) friend, Jewel, a talented artist, and her urban life in exciting Seattle. Now gorgeous jock Simon, on whom she has long had a crush, has surprisingly singled her out for his attention, just as Jewel has indicated that his interest in her is more than platonic; when she begins dating Simon, it cools off her friendship with Jewel and finally leaves her to explore her independent identity—whether she wants to or not. Gallagher writes with tenderness of a girl who's just beginning to realize that she's limited only by her own assumptions and self-image, and Alice's narration manages to make the dilemma of being torn between two attractive boys believably problematic as well as desirable. The actual exploration of the situation is less credible, however: both Alice and the book seem unaware that Jewel is insecurely parochial and snobbish, and her rejection of Simon in Jewel's favor seems a literary contrivance unjustified by her emotional responses (either Simon or independence seem like better choices). Her blossoming into herself is still gratifying to see, though, and readers may take away a useful message about looking beyond their own self-limitations.