A New Juliet

I don't like Juliet Capulet.  

There, I said it. 

I want to, but I don't like her.  Also, her name rhymes. 

That girl whiiiiines.  And she is needy.  And spoiled.  And a bit dense at communicating.  I know, star-crossed lovers, destiny, missed opportunities, true love, blah blah blah.  But couldn't she just be a bit more awesome in the process a little less, well...Juliet-ish?  C'mon kid.  Step up.  And MAKE SURE THE GUY KNOWS YOU ARE GOING TO DRINK SLEEPING DRUG. 

And...awkward internet silence.  

Sorry 'bout that.  I just don't love her.  

Also -- great cover.  

So when I read The Juliet Stories by Carrie Snyder, I actually started in really, really hoping that it would have nothing to do with Shakespeare's teenage concoction.  Thankfully, our little 10 year old protagonist was nothing like her Elizabethan counterpart and was a fabulously real, growing girl.  Struggling through the turbulent political and personal settings her parents fling her into, Juliet's stories are experiences of seeing people and their short-comings over and over again.  She learns, as we all do, that life is hard, that we are often only getting glimpses into people and that no one, not even our parents, are perfect.  But more than that, she learns how she will react and how she will hold her own story together.

The writing itself is a dance.  The moments are simple and complex, hot and cold, sticky and clean. Snyder moves you through time and place with an ease that is almost elusive -- I felt like I was trailing behind Juliet for the whole book, like I was along for the ride of her every day.  Snyder tells her story through moments: you are rarely hearing about big pieces of plot movement outside of Juliet experiencing them or simplying naming them.  The moments tell the story, lend pieces to a puzzle that you work out as you go.  Not everything is offered up front, but you get enough.  This book was a good reminder of how limited anyone's perspective is, including our own; no matter how much we want to think we 'get' things, we simply only see what we can see. 

I absorbed this book -- really, it absorbed me.  I felt like I wanted to keep holding it, get closer, read it again.  It was a quick read -- not too long or too dense, but so very, very full.  

I recommend it wholeheartedly.  So if you look for it check out your local, independent bookstore, ideally (mine is www.wordsworthbooks.com).  The author is from my hometown, so I was happy to support her and local business in the process.  

Read on, friends!