One of those hideous books where the mother dies

Bibliography

Sones, Sonya. 2004. One of those hideous books where the mother dies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689858205

Plot Summary

After her mother’s death, 15 year-old Ruby is on her way to L.A. to live with her father, a famous movie star who left before Ruby was born. Through poems, Ruby expresses her grief about losing everyone she loves and being forced to live with a father that she believes never wanted her. Feeling bereft by the absence of her beloved aunt, worried about her long-distance boyfriend straying, and betrayed by her best friend; Ruby has a hard time adjusting to glitz and glamour of L.A. while maintaining her emotional distance from her father. The death of an unknown schoolmate triggers an explosion of grief and Ruby is finally able to open her heart to her father.

Critical Analysis

The free form verse poems of this verse novel deftly express the turbulence of thoughts and emotions of an angry, grieving teenage girl. The short poems jump from poisonous anger at her father, to lusty thoughts of her boyfriend, to incredulity about life in L.A., to fervent denials of the depths of her grief.  The use of emails between Ruby and her friends, and emails written to her dead mother, moves the plot along and gives context for the reactions and feelings that are expressed through verse. The verse form makes the book a fast read and really draws you into Ruby’s new life.

On a personal note, the subject of this book was difficult for me. As the single mother of a soon-to-be-teenage daughter, whose deadbeat dad has never wanted any contact… I was able to empathize with Ruby’s initial anger towards her absent father, but I felt a bit betrayed by the pat ending where it turns out it was all the mom’s fault that he had not been a part of his daughter’s life. For most readers, this story would be no different from any other piece of fiction, but for me it rang false in the end.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It's solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness.”

Kirkus Reviews: “Short, stream-of-consciousness free-verse poems make up most of the narrative, by turns bathing readers in Ruby's emotions and treating them to very sharp, very funny observations about LA.”

Connections

Other verse novels for teens by Sonya Sones:

Sones, Sonya. 2001. Stop pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. ISBN 0064462188

Sones, Sonya. 2003. What my mother doesn’t know. ISBN 0689855532

Sones, Sonya. 2008. What my girlfriend doesn’t know. ISBN 0689876033