3.5 Stars
This is a coming-of-age story set in 1986 in Maine.
Fourteen-year-old Frances is hired by Regina and Forrest Emerson to be a mother’s helper for the summer at their lakefront home named Wonderland. She has to help look after 12-year-old Hayward and 6-year-old Jilly but her responsibilities are not that taxing. She finds many benefits that she doesn’t have in her home. She is given a shiny new bike and eventually gets tennis lessons at the country club. Best of all, she is able to spend time with Forrest, her father’s charismatic friend.
As expected, Wonderland proves not to be the paradise it initially seems. Frances witnesses the intimate lives and secrets of adults who prove not to be as reliable as she thought. As indicated by the prologue, the summer ends with a death that shatters the family. The book focuses on the events of the summer leading up to this death.
Frances is the narrator so the reader sees everyone and every event from her perspective. Obviously her reliability as a narrator comes into play. She is desperate for attention, something she does not get from her own parents who are focused on their contentious relationship. Because Forrest shows her some attention, she develops a crush on him. When Forrest’s attentions turn elsewhere, Frances’ loyalty shifts to Regina who takes an interest in her. The problem, as she realizes later, is that she is naive and too involved in her own situation to fully understand anyone else’s.
Frances is a very believable teenager. She is very conscious of her body; she is troubled that she has not yet developed breasts and has not started to menstruate. Most of the time she feels invisible and she desperately wants to be noticed and to feel important; this desire is her major motivation. She’s an insecure outsider who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere. She is interested in sex, but knows very little about it.
By the end of the summer, Frances learns a great deal. She learns to play tennis and she learns about the physical aspects of sex. She comes to appreciate her father’s brutal honesty which contrasts with Forrest’s ability to lie easily. Hayward annoys her throughout, but in the end she recognizes that he is not that different from her. And, of course, she learns a lot about adults, including how they have secrets and may behave less than honourably. Her feelings for Forrest change; she finds she can still love a version of him but she doesn’t like or respect him.
As I read, I developed an intense dislike for Forrest. It’s obvious that he is charming and most people find him irresistible, but I found his behaviour disturbing. When Frances first arrives, he pays her a lot of attention, almost as if he is grooming her. Even if his intentions are innocent, a 37-year-old man should be more aware of how his actions might affect a teenager. He even makes her promises which he doesn’t keep. When Brenda comes along, Frances sees another side to Forrest: he’s a liar and serial adulterer. Frances’ father Hank is Forrest’s best friend so presumably he knows about his activities. So I kept wondering why would Hank entrust his daughter to such a man?
I did have some issues with the novel. It’s a slow burn with needless repetition. The chapters are short, but some just seem unnecessary. At the end there are elements I found problematic. Who saves a fake suicide note on their computer? And the courtroom scenes and verdict are unconvincing. Why, for instance, is Frances allowed to hear the testimony of others before she herself takes the stand? Prospective witnesses remain outside the courtroom until they are called to testify to ensure they do not alter or tailor their own evidence based on what they hear.
The best aspect of this novel is its portrayal of the interior life of a teenaged girl. Frances’ choices and behaviour are not always admirable, but perfectly understandable.
Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
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