FICTION

Finding Audrey

by Sophie KINSELLA
288p. Delacorte. Jun. 2015. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780553536515; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9780553536522.
COPY ISBN
Gr 7 Up—The author of the wildly popular "Shopaholic" series (Dial) for adults, has a surefire winner in her YA debut. Audrey doesn't go to school, wears dark glasses all the time, and rarely leaves her house. Mum and Dad are gently encouraging and helpful and try to assist Audrey in recovering from her debilitating anxiety disorder, for which she has recently been released from hospital care. Brother Frank is a computer gaming fanatic, and four-year-old brother Felix is a cute foil for the drama going on in the rest of the household. Readers are left pondering why is Audrey so anxious—what happened? Kinsella never explicitly reveals what triggered the protagonist's anxiety. The expert and sympathetic depiction of the teen's symptoms and emotions is the strongest part of the novel. Unfortunately, Audrey's rapid recovery once she meets a cute guy rings a bit false, or at least, a too conveniently clichéd, but tweens and teens may enjoy the portrayal of the hasty romance. Sparkling dialogue, carefully developed characters, great parent-child interaction, and a bit of rom-com all join to demonstrate the author's expertise in developing a compelling story.
VERDICT A deep and sensitive portrayal of a British teen's recovery from a traumatic experience. Expect requests!
Reviewed by Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Audrey wears dark glasses all of the time, “even in the house.” But it’s not out of excessive devotion to her movie-star namesake; it’s because she’s afraid. Of everyone. We learn, incompletely, that “some stuff” happened to her at school, that three classmates were expelled as a result, and that Audrey herself will be attending a new school come fall. While Kinsella never details the bullying Audrey experienced (which makes its power all the more terrifying), she persuasively charts Audrey’s gradual healing with the help of an understanding therapist and a boy who, over the course of the story, becomes more than a friend. For those who know Kinsella only from her popular Shopaholic series for adults, this book will seem surprisingly layered and serious. That said, there is plenty of leavening social comedy, mainly delivered via Audrey’s mother, a loving and scattered parent obsessed with how much time Audrey’s older brother spends playing video games, who perhaps takes her Daily Mail tabloid reading more to heart than is really good for her: “It’s all the fault of these evil screens. Some children your age can’t even get up off the couch!” roger sutton
After "some stuff" happened to her at school, Audrey is afraid--of everyone--and will be attending a new school come fall. Kinsella never details the bullying (making its power all the more terrifying), but she persuasively charts Audrey's healing with help from a therapist and a boy who becomes more than a friend. Layered and serious but with plenty of leavening social comedy.
 , Jun 01, 2015

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