
A wonderful, thought-provoking, feel-good novel from exciting new talent Julia Clarke. Jade has always felt secure and loved - by her doting parents and by her best friend, Jack, who everyone assumes she'll marry one day. Things start to change when Jade embarks on a school project about the place where the family lived when she was a baby. Meeting old friends opens up old secrets, and Jade soon becomes aware that her parents and Jack are all keeping secrets from her. Both secrets turn out to be painful - her father is not really her father, and Jack cannot love her as more than a friend bacause he is gay - but the strength of their relationships help them all to come through these revelations and reach a happy, life-affirming end.
Jade’s perception of her stable life fractures when a school project unearths long-buried family secrets. Jade, a teenager who relies on the support of her parents and her lifelong friend Jack, finds her world shifting as she investigates her family's past. As she uncovers the truth about her parentage and the nature of Jack’s feelings, she must navigate the emotional fallout of these revelations. The narrative follows her attempt to reconcile her past identity with her present reality while maintaining the bonds that define her.
Readers frequently highlight the accessible prose and the realistic portrayal of teenage discovery. Discussion often centers on the balance between the protagonist's personal growth and the external pressures of family expectations. Critics note the effectiveness of the narrative in handling sensitive topics like identity and sexual orientation with a focus on character relationships. The pacing is generally described as steady, allowing for the gradual development of the central conflicts. Many readers appreciate the focus on emotional maturity and the resolution of complex interpersonal dynamics.
Page Count:
160
Publication Date:
2002-08-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192752340
ISBN-13:
9780192752345
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