In Zanesville: A Novel by Jo Ann Beard

The 1970's weren't the easiest times for a couple of 14 year old girls to grow up in- just ask In Zanesville's unnamed narrator and her best friend. In this coming-of-age novel, we see the two of them deal with odd babysitting gigs, clothes, strange teachers, annoying/horrible family situations, self-awareness, friends, crushes and popularity, and (of course) boys at that awkward and vital time of life. Jo Ann Beard depicts their struggles, failures (and even a success or two) in a well-written (sometimes wonderfully so), moving way.

My problem with this book is that the narrative doesn't go anywhere. The narrator's story doesn't end, there's no conclusion, and it just stops. I'm not sure the narrator comes of age, she rather comes right up to the border of it and looks across. That's more than dissatisfying. It ends up cheapening the whole experience.

Even so, Beard's writing makes In Zanesville worth the time. -Hobart N.