Things I Can't Forget

Gr 9 Up—Though devoutly religious, Kate recently compromised her deeply held beliefs to help her best friend, Emily, obtain an abortion-a decision that has strained the girls' friendship and sent Kate reeling. When the teen becomes a camp counselor the summer before starting college, she questions her identity even further. Romance blossoms between Kate and a fellow counselor, Matt, and she befriends Parker, a girl whom Kate used to look down upon for her wild and promiscuous lifestyle. Subsequently, she begins to reevaluate her judgmental attitudes. Though it's primarily her relationships with others that result in Kate's growth from an uptight, narrow-minded wallflower to a self-assured young woman, characterization is sketchy, and characters are largely one-note (the gorgeous, confident love interest; her lost and confused best friend; her strict, unsympathetic boss). Still, Kenneally's spare, straightforward prose, combined with a heavy dose of romance, makes it an accessible novel that should appeal even to reluctant readers. Kate's habit of questions to herself as she encounters conflicts ("But what if I would rather have a relationship with God than friendships with people who don't believe in him like I do?") imbues her with an uncertainty that will resonate with teens. Adolescents will also relate to her simultaneous feelings of longing and guilt as she copes with her burgeoning sexuality. Despite the flaws, teenagers will find this coming-of-age story both entertaining and poignant.—Mahnaz Dar, Library Journal