Quicksand Pond by Janet Taylor Lisle (review)

The rickety old cabin Jessie’s family is staying at for the summer doesn’t offer peace to twelve-year-old Jessie: her older sister is still acting like a snob, her little brother is annoying as heck, and everyone knows the trip is as much about her parents’ troubled relationship as it is about getting away. The raft Jessie finds at the edge of nearby Quicksand Pond does give a reprieve as she poles around the quiet marshy edges, though, and she’s thrilled to also find a friend in Terri, who has her own reasons for hanging around the pond. Terri happily elaborates on the town’s various legends, including the story of a decades-old murder, but soon the past collides with Terri’s secrets and her life spins wildly out of control, threatening to take Jessie with it. Lisle deftly balances the stories of Jessie’s coming of age, Terri’s downward spiral, and the truth behind the murder; the eventual coalescence of the three involves a simple but surprising twist, leaving readers with a compelling, but still melancholy, ending. The girls’ relationship is realistic in its ups and downs, with Jessie initially craving the attention of her coolly aloof new friend and then Terri desperately clinging to Jessie as things go awry. The focus occasionally shifts from the girls to the old woman who was involved in the long-ago crime, and her perspective gives the story both an air of mystery and an element of aching sorrow. A tale of how one summer, one person, or one event can forever change the direction of a life, this will appeal to readers who prefer their beach reads thoughtful rather than frothy.