Gabi is a Mexican American teenager who lives in Southern California. She is a senior in high school who lives with her mother, brother, with the occasional appearance of her meth-head father. Her senior year turns out to be full of surprises: her best friend is pregnant after a summer fling, she develops a love and talent for poetry, her mother gets pregnant, Gabi gets two boyfriends, her father dies, she gets into her first choice college, she has sex, she gets suspended, she doesn't get to participate in graduation. Gabi's strong mind, support structure, and ability to express herself through poetry helps her to cope with it all.
The book is written like a diary starting a month before school starts and ending at her would-be graduation day dinner. The diary approach lets the reader know Gabi's most intimate thoughts about all aspects of life and, naturally, creates that bond only a first-person narrator can achieve. Quintero's writing style is a mix of Gary Soto and Sandra Cisneros. The humor reminds me of Soto, whereas the raw discussion of the topics at hand reminds me of Cisneros. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is a shining example of contemporary realistic fiction. Teenaged readers will be drawn into Gabi's story because so many facets of it reflect their own. While it is unlikely that a reader will suffer from all the issues Gabi faces, one or two are sure to affect them or someone close to them. Girls in particular will be able to see that they share the same doubts and concerns about sex, feminism, religion, family, and school.
No comments:
Post a Comment