Click. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. Click. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. Click. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome—anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy.” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers,show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever. Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Delia Ephron crafts a powerful novel of truth, beauty, and the secrets about family and friends that lie beneath perfection.
Review from th Hamptons: In her new novel, "The Girl with the Mermaid Hair" (HarperTeen), critically-acclaimed author, screenwriter and playwrightDelia Ephron explores what happens when a teenage girl's vanity and insecurity collide with her mother's hysteria about aging. Sukie Jamieson spends her life taking pictures of herself, snapping "selfies" with her phone. She lives in a family so upside-down that they ask the dog for advice. When her mother gives Sukie her grandmother's mirror, Sukie ignores her mother's warning: "This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy." As the mirror begins to crack, so does Sukie's tightly controlled life, and she is forced to confront the truths about herself and her family that lie beneath perfection. With profound relevancy in today's beauty obsessed culture, "The Girl with the Mermaid Hair" manages to explore issues of body image, plastic surgery, and the ever complicated relationship between mother and daughter through Sukie's funny and touching story. Ephron, who is currently represented Off Broadway as co-author (with Nora Ephron) of the hit show "Love, Loss, and What I Wore," is no stranger to writing about teens. Her first Young Adult novel, "Frannie in Pieces," received four starred reviews, was a Booksense Pick, and was named to the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Ephron is also the author of "Big City Eyes," "Hanging Up," and "How to Eat Like a Child." Her screenwriting credits include "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," "You've Got Mail," "Bewitched," "Hanging Up," and "Michael." She lives in New York City with her husband and their dog Honey Pansy Cornflower Bernice Mambo Kass. Published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books - U.S. $16.99. For ages 12 and up. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Author Delia Ephron Pens 'The Girl With The Mermaid Hair'
