Review: Lovely, Chaste Story About Everyday Teens
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2013
I was surprised how much I liked Finding Normal.It's the story of sixteen year-old Emma, an artist (pencil drawing) named after a book written by her mother's favorite author (Jane Austen), moving to a new town, again, and starting a new school, again. Her birthday coincides with the first day of her sophomore year; given her mother's peripatetic nature, Emma finds it easier to blend in, to make as few friends as possible because she'll just be leaving again. Her plan is thwarted by an outgoing girl, Reese, who adopts Emma into her popular gang. It takes Emma awhile to warm up to both the kids in this clique as well as the idea of being in a clique, but she seems to.Emma develops a crush on Reese's older brother's best friend, Christian, who has his own "mysterious" past; he'd evidently dropped out of school (should be a senior) for which he was kicked out of his parents' house, lives and hearts. He's quiet and stoic. She gets a part-time job at a local bookstore and becomes friends with the owner's grandson, Thomas. Thomas is also sixteen and a paraplegic (it seems his SCI is incomplete) and he and Emma develop a true and humorous friendship.Emma and her mother's frequent moves work for Emma because she is also unwilling to really open herself up to the potential of deep friendship or love. The week after her eighth birthday, when her parents separated and her dad moved out, her father was killed in an automobile accident. Emma and her mom are still feeling and suffering the repercussions of that loss, so it's just easier for them to not let anyone else get too close so they won't have to feel the hurt when they leave.The author does a terrific job with Emma -- she feels like a fully fleshed-out character, even if she's not written as such, what is written makes perfect sense and her actions / reactions feel "right." The secondary and tertiary characters all need more work, though -- there was just enough for us (reader) to say "oh yeah, I think I get their motivation but maybe ...?" She probably did the best jobs with Emma's mother, Jackie, and Thomas, her friend from the bookstore; Reese (best girlfriend) and Christian (love interest) both need more.Even with the abundant and inexcusable errors (misspelling Austen, as in Jane Austen, for one, and Flamingo dancing for Flamenco) and the obvious need for a strong editor, it is clear the author has a real talent for storytelling and writing. Except for the time jumps (with which the editor will help), the flow was terrific and the emotions felt genuine for that time of life.I've already marked this author so I can keep an eye out for future releases: I think she has promise.All-in-all, it's a lovely, chaste story about ordinary teens with everyday issues, written sensitively and intriguingly.