Dreaming In Books

Title:  Invisible Girl

Author:  Mary Hanlon Stone

Publisher:  Philomel (Penguin)

This book nearly made me cry at least three times.  Considering a book rarely makes me cry, this should be news enough not to miss this book.  I'd heard rave reviews about it from Brent at Naughty Book Kitties, so when I got a copy sent to me, I was naturally excited.  But...I had no idea exactly how deeply I would end up investing myself into this book.

Stephanie's mother is a drunk.  She drinks and drinks and drinks, only stopping to hit Stephanie and boss around her father.  Even though there are times when there is no alcohol, and her mother is the shining example of love and devotion, the fear always remains.  When Stephanie's mother decides to walk out on them for good, she can barely contain her mixture of relief...and depression.  Stephanie's dad can barely handle her, and he rarely ever speaks, so when he decides to send her off to an old friend's place in LA for a little while - to settle things, as he tells her - she can barely care less.

She gets transported to a world where everything is cookie-cutter perfect.  The family is perfect: a doting mother, a daughter named Annie who is beautiful and the local queen bee, and a father who reminds her of Nancy Drew's own dad.  It just may be so that Stephanie doesn't have to escape into her world of mysteries anymore...that she may be able to make her own family out of this new one.  Unfortunately, things rarely work out that way.

The characters in this novel thrive with life.  It shines from them like thousands of rays of sunlight.  Stephanie is such a deep, introspective character that expresses emotions so vividly and honestly, you really feel them yourself.  Annie is an incredible witch who manages to be evil and conniving but never once over-dramatized.  Annie's parents are much the same way - the characterized honesty and lack of exaggeration made them ultimately more powerful than most characters in any work of fiction.  Stephanie's friend, Amal, was also a wonderful character, managing to convey a message of antiprejudice and of the lasting effects of friendship based on emotional bonds.

The plot is basic in terms of what's going on - a problem novel usually is.  However, Stone weaves complex conflicts within based on the smaller things characters do.  Stephanie not only works on not becoming invisible, but also reflects a slow realization of the nature of alcohol and how it pertains to her mother.  It also explores the depth of the father figure, and what is and isn't accurate about it.  Even her escapism with Nancy Drew books and her progress into biographical fiction is momentous and vital to the overall story arc.  To make a simple book so addicting and multi-layered is wonderful, and I loved every minute of it.

Stone's writing is just as good, combining excellent descriptors and metaphors with spurts of dialogue that fit together so well. Normally I enjoy more dialogue than description in these types of novels, but I breezed through so well that I never once thought that with Invisible Girl.  Her vocabulary is also great - especially its integration with Stephanie's Warrior Words - which were very inspired and gave her a level of strength and courage victim characters sometimes lack.

To say this is my new favorite debut would really be an understatement.  Stone does everything right - even some things I never knew were wrong!  I want to stay with Stephanie long after the last page, and I can't wait to see what happens next for the author, even if she doesn't return to Stephanie and company.  This book will warm your heart and is ultimately a story of pure teenage survival in a world that thrives so much on fighting for a spot of visibility. 

Cover Comments:  I love the simple, yet symbolic, cover.  It isn't complex, but it conveys the overall theme of the book in a nice manner, and it's attractive in terms of shelf space, even if it isn't amazingly original.

Rating:  Five Stars

Copy:  Received from Penguin (Thanks so much guys!  Love ya!)