RaveEntropyDo we become the person we are through the people we seek, or do the people around us shape who we become? That question, often answered in nicely tied neat bows in coming-of-age stories, is anything but neat in Harmon’s novel. That is what makes the book so successful. The refusal to answer that question neatly is what makes Harmon’s novel so powerful ... Justine is a fully realized character, as she should be since she carries the weight of the title of the novel, but it is Ali that readers follow, much in the manner that Ali follows Justine. Ali is keenly observant to the world of Long Island, and to her home situation, never romanticizing nor chastising it. As a character, Ali doesn’t appeal to those readers who crave stories about people getting out of their towns, or people who love their hometown. Instead, Harmon simply portrays things as they are through an insightful protagonist ... Even in the smaller nuances of the novel, Harmon’s themes dig deep ... Forsyth Harmon has crafted a sensitive and observant debut novel filled with her wonderful illustrations that look like the teenage character created them herself.
