This approach means Sunny never really has to confront what is happening to her brother and her family. I am not sure if this approach is meant to add “mystery” to the story or to prevent the book from becoming too graphic in nature however, the result is that it feels like the story endlessly repeats itself with scenes of Dale smoking, only giving the big “reveal” at the end, when he is shown to be experiencing some personality changes. Repeatedly, readers see the brother (Dale) smoking and later picking up a bag, but, overall, the hints are subtle enough that innocent readers might honestly just think Dale is a smoker–not too unusual for the 1970s, when the story is set. (Potential spoilers) Even the focus on Sunny’s brother’s drug usage fails to give the story power or meaning. But this approach seems to be in conflict with the desire to create suspense and mystery around Sunny’s family and her recent trip. I suppose the book could be considered a slice-of-life story we are simply watching Sunny read comics. For instance, Sunny learns to love comic books and different chapters introduce her to different heroes, but why? Aside from a wish to be invisible, there is no clear connection between the heroes and Sunny, no reason Sunny seems to like comics. However, I never thought that the vignettes came together particularly well, or that any larger meaning grew out of the chapters. This format makes it necessary for readers to pay close attention to the dates, so they can reconstruct the timeline in their heads and solve the “mystery” of why Sunny’s parents sent her to Florida. Sunny Side Up is not really told as a cohesive story, but instead as a series of vignettes from the present today interspersed with flashbacks. This focus certainly makes Sunny Side Up a necessary and relevant book for today’s youth, but I have to admit that the story never really captured me. However, though the sequels seem to fall squarely in the subgenre of “middle school friendship dramas,” Sunny Side Up is different in that it focuses, not on growing up and growing apart from friends, but rather (potential spoiler here) on dealing with a loved one’s drug usage. I expected a coming-of-age story similar perhaps to Smile or Roller Girl, but I really had no clue what the book is about. Sunny Side Up almost never seems to be on the shelf at my local library, so I knew I would have to read it. But she’s still running from the family tragedy that brought her to Florida in the first place. It’s a far cry from Disney World–and really difficult to find someone her own age–but Sunny eventually makes friends with a local boy. Instead, she finds herself in Florida visiting her grandfather, who lives in a retirement community. Sunny expected to spend the summer at the beach with her best friend.
0 kommentar(er)
