"Huntington’s chorea,
a progressive dementia that eventually kills the sufferer,
is the diagnosis as Melanie’s mother slips further into madness.
In spite of the family’s prominent standing in the community,
Melanie must endure the whispers of the adults, the mimics of the children,
and a guilty fear that she is carrying a genetic time bomb within.
Rubalcaba writes beautifully, so beautifully that we almost forget to care
about Melanie. Yet, Melanie’s struggle to reassure herself
that she does not carry the terrifying gene, and her inner
battle to love rather than hate her mother, whom she misses
so much, eventually ring true. The self-absorbed adolescent
as well as the self-absorbed husband and father finally nurture
the woman who had nurtured them, and both begin to heal themselves." - ALA Booklist
School Library Journal called Melanie "memorable," and
the prose "realistic... and rhythmic." The reviewer added that the "themes of this
title, the damage of prejudice, awareness of HD [Huntington’s Disease] and the
importance of caring are valuable. Readers will be engaged by the plot and the
characters and learn a bit along the way."
Jill’s novel, Saint
Vitus’ Dance, is available from Houghton Mifflin’s Clarion
Books.
