Liza is a senior at a private school when she meets Annie at a museum. The two become friends quickly, but both admit to liking each other as more than just friends. They begin a secret relationship, but eventually they are found out, which changes their relationship.
The plot is unique, interesting and believable. While Annie and Liza don�t admit they have feelings for each other until well into the book, we know from the first few pages that this will happen and this will be the main conflict. The conflict not only involves Annie and Liza having to hide their feelings from others, but also from Liza�s denial that she is gay. There are different climaxes and resolutions. One climax is when Liza must go before the board to find out if she will be expelled from school. The resolution occurs when she is cleared of all charges. Another climax is when Liza calls Annie at the very end of the book. The resolution occurs when Liza tells Annie she still loves her and Annie says she still loves Liza too.
The characters are believable and realistic. We definitely feel as though we know Annie and Liza by the end of the story. We sympathize with their struggles and hope that they will end up together at the conclusion of the story. We see both positive and negative qualities. Annie can be somewhat hypocritical, like when she urges Liza to tell her family about the relationship, but won�t tell her own family about it. Liza is so scared to disappoint those around her that she�s in denial about who she is. Characters are revealed through actions, dialogue and Liza�s thoughts.
The story is set in New York, most likely in the 1980�s, which was when the book was published. The setting is important in the fact that Annie and Liza�s relationship would have been different in a small town. They might never have met since they first meet in one of New York�s many museums. Much of their time together is spent exploring the city and discovering new places. The size of the city also gives them a sort of anonymity when they are out together. This would not have been possible in a small town.
This story has several themes. One is the importance of finding yourself and accepting who you are. Another might be that love comes in all forms. These themes aren�t shoved down the readers� throats, but emerge naturally as we see Liza finally come to terms with who she is.
The book is told in third person point of view, but we can see Liza�s thoughts and feelings. The story is told in flashback up until the very end when Liza calls Annie. The story�s mood jumps between serious and tense, such as the school hearings, and romantic, such as when Liza and Annie give each other almost identical Christmas presents (Garden 112). While there are a lot of other things going on in this book, at its core it is a story about teen romance. Booklist calls it a �tender, romantic story.� The best part of this book is the dialogue. Liza and Annie have interesting thoughts and ideas and we really get to know them through their talking to one another. Annie�s unique personality come sout at the very beginning when she says to Liza, �this room seems like you� bright and clear�� (Garden 14). We also see Liza�s personality through dialogue, such as how she thinks about things scientifically. �The occult sciences�are the only ones that would even attempt to explain this kind of coincidence�� (Garden 112).
Any teen reader who has ever been in love will enjoy this �exceptionally well-rendered tale� (Publishers Weekly).
Booklist. 1989. Booklist. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 30 September 2004.
Publishers Weekly. 1992. Publishers Weekly. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 30 September 2004.
