In SAINT ANYTHING, we meet Sydney. She has always been
overshadowed by her larger-than-life older brother,
Peyton. She is used to
having the spotlight on him and that includes her parents
doting constant
attention on him despite all the trouble he gets into.
Peyton makes some
very bad decisions and they finally catch up with him.
Peyton is charged
with a drunk driving conviction that leaves a fifteen year
old boy paralyzed.
Sydney finds herself lost and not quite sure how to adjust
to the changes of
her family . She makes a big decision to switch from her
small private
school to Jackson High School to take some of the
financial pressure off of
her parents. One afternoon she walks in to Seaside Pizza
and this is
where her life changes. She meets the Chatham family, a
family very
different from her own, but one that she needs in her
life.
Sydney is instantly pulled in to their world. She is now
a part of the group
even when she tries to resist, she becomes one of them.
She now is even
a part of Mac and Layla's family. She's finally being
noticed for Sydney, not
for being "...the sister of the neighborhood delinquent,
drug addict, and
now drunk driver. It doesn't matter that she has done
none of these things.
With shame, if you are close, it effects you too. She's
noticed by those
around her except for her parents. The Chatham's are
dysfunctional at
times and with their own problems, but they always provide
a safe haven
for Sydney.
Many years ago I came across my first Sarah Dessen novel
and it's been a
love affair ever since. SAINT ANYTHING is exactly why I
love her writing.
She pulls you right in from the very beginning and just
shreds your heart.
Sarah Dessen has long been known for her lighter romantic
stories that
have captured the hearts of many young adult book readers
over the years.
With SAINT ANYTHING she has completely broken that barrier
and wrote
something very different from what readers have come to
know her for.
Sarah Dessen is without a doubt one of the most well known
romantic
contemporary authors in the young adult world. Her books
are often labeled
as the perfect summer reads due to that light romantic
content that readers
have come to expect. SAINT ANYTHING is a perfect example
of Sarah
Dessen's ability to write a worthy Young Adult
contemporary that's filled
with great characters and a story that allows you to
become connected
with the people in it.
I read it in two sittings and couldn't stop thinking how I
would react if I were in Sydney's shoes. As readers, we're
there alongside
Sydney as she's finding herself, and the journey of
discovery is rewarding,
as much as it is frustrating. We see what's happening, and
we feel the
same punches Sydney does when no one notices.
Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world. Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older brother Mac—quiet, watchful, and protective—that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last. Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy