Hung Up by Kristen Tracy (review)

It all starts with a wrong number: Lucy’s trying to leave messages about an order she placed but is actually leaving them on James’ voicemail; when James finally picks up and explains, the two begin to banter, and a telephone relationship is born. That relationship becomes close and confessional, but as it moves toward meeting in person Lucy begins to worry, because she hasn’t been honest with James about who she really is. From Bells Are Ringing to Couloumbis’ Not Exactly a Love Story (BCCB 12/12), the telephone romance has been a narrative staple, and Tracy musters a rapid-fire banter for her conversants (in dialogue formatted like a playscript) that’s mannered yet witty and funny (Lucy, for instance, is “a very accidentally contentious person”). The eventual revelations are foreshadowed rather than coming as surprises, so the pleasure here is watching the protagonists gradually trust each other with more of the truth. While it’s overall somewhat more artful than authentic, the play between James and Lucy is rhythmic and entertaining, and the format could prompt a readers’ theater performance or serve as an inspiration for young writers to create their own dialogue narratives.