Radiant Days

Gr 9 Up—Merle Tappitt, 18, is an art student from the hills of Appalachia living in Washington, DC, in the late 1970s. Talented and inexperienced, she is seduced by her married art instructor not long after she starts class at the Corcoran School of Art. Clea becomes Merle's muse, and the gifted teen's sketchbook is soon brimming over with portraits of the older woman. When Clea breaks up with her and her apartment building is set for demolition, Merle abandons painting and drawing for tagging, spray painting her "Radiant Days" logo throughout the city. In alternating chapters, readers are introduced to a young Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet who lived from 1854 to 1891. (The poet's impassioned words and deeply felt emotions have influenced generations of writers, artist, and musicians, including Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison.) With the help of a washed-up musician who may or may not be a Greek deity in disguise, Arthur and Merle are able to enter one another's worlds and spend time together. Hand writes in an ambitious, erudite style, and her narrative will hold the attention of thoughtful, sophisticated readers. It is about self-actualization and coming of age as an artist, but readers yearning for a typical romance will most likely be disappointed. However, those who choose to follow Merle and Arthur's story to the end will be transported by the poetic language and magical encounters.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL