I think adolescent voices are actually very hard to get right, so I am impressed by that. Unfortunately, while I share your disinterest in historical fiction I don’t share your interest in coming of age stories so despite the temptation I suspect I’ll pass. An author to keep an eye out for though possibly.

I do see Lemon as more confused (maybe immature or incomplete) than disturbed. Her rebellion, detachment and negative characteristics seem to me to be defensive measures resulting from her confusion — as do the concrete judgments she makes. When you think about it, that is a fairly typical adolescent response — the way that Strube captures that is one of the strengths of the book. I’ll admit that while I didn’t really like the person that Lemon is now (and probably would actively dislike her if I met a real version), I was actively cheering for her to start finding some ways to turn her strengths into positive forces instead of defensive ones.

What did you think about the “mother” theme as applied to Lemon herself? This was one thing I had the hardest time with, but everytime I tried to find a way to discount it, I realized that there was a good point to be made there, even if I found what she did highly disturbing. I’m sure that was the point — Lemon is highly disturbed, despite her detached tone. I guess Caulfield was in a mental institution, too, though.

This book has certainly stuck with me, and I wish it had more attention.