Glimpse (review)

Sometime after Hope and Lizzie's father dies, their mother begins entertaining men for money. The sisters have always been incredibly close, taking care of each other while their mother spouts invective, chain-smokes, and mourns her dead husband. Then, seemingly without warning, Lizzie tries to take her own life, and Hope is left to wonder what has brought her beloved older sister to this sad, desperate place. Digging into her memories, she pieces together clues until she comes to the conclusion that readers will probably have figured out much sooner—that her mother was pimping Lizzie to earn more money while Hope was either sleeping in the next room or spending the night with her friend. This brand of tragic melodrama, especially in Ellen Hopkins–style free verse, has a perennial appeal for certain readers, and the plot trajectory takes all of the safely predictable turns that they expect and appreciate and ends in a hopeful place for both girls. The poetry is at best uneven in quality, though, troubled by dated allusions, inconsistent voice, and hackneyed images; the story unfolds very slowly, yet the ending is quick and pat. Character development is cheap and simplified, making it difficult to see the mother in particular as anything more than a caricature of abuse. For a more realistic and substantive picture of a younger sister trying to reach out to a sibling with mental health problems, readers should seek out Julie Schumacher's Black Box (BCCB 9/08).