Walk Softly, Rachel
Grade 7-9-Rachel, 14, is saddened when her mother, a judge (called "Rachel two" by the family), announces that she wants to move because she believes that her mother ("Rachel one") will soon need to live with them. When the teen asks why her grandmother can't move into Jake's room, all become uncomfortable. For Jake is the forever heroic, 17-year-old brother who died when "Rachel three" was only seven, and his room has been preserved as a shrine by his mother. Rachel finds his journal and fills in the gaps of her memory, discovering that the record-breaking track star and Princeton-bound scholar lived in a quiet blackness of despair. Unable to bear his depression, this perfect son and adored brother committed suicide. During this unraveling of family mystery, an act of arson destroys a historic landmark, and Rachel begins to wonder if her fire-loving friend could have something to do with it. As this is a psychological novel, the plot is necessarily spare. What matters is the drama going on in Rachel's head. The conversations among the three Rachels are endearing and revealing, with Rachel one passing on comforting chestnuts of wisdom gathered over a long life, and Rachel two offering conflicting, sometimes slightly skeptical views, leaving Rachel three to winnow out that which will be of use to her. In spite of all this talk, left undiscussed is what is driving the real family dynamic. As in Dillon Dillon (Farrar, 2002), family relationships and love among the living lead to personal growth and a hopeful ending. While Banks's poetic prose may consist of simple words, its effect on the ear and heart is remarkable.Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.