How to Save a Life Review

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How to Save a Life ReviewWell, yeah -- it's a little embarrassing. Writing a positive review for a book about a pregnant teen, I mean. It's a first for me, and the rap is that "PT" books are overwrought... melodramatic... maudlin... corny. But somehow Zarr pulls it off. Giving it some thought, I realize the book's genius is in its construction and its characterization. In HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, Zarr uses the alternating chapter/ alternating point of view technique. On the one hand we have the pregnant girl, Mandy. On the other, we have the chief combatant in the family Mandy is joining, Jill. Both are curious characters and (blessed be!) neither exactly warms the heart of the reader. Not at first, anyway. And therein lies one of its strengths. Both characters have murky corners to their souls and neither is one you'd call a close friend. Making these girls gray instead of black and white, good and bad, does wonders for the novel's possibilities. It keeps you reading.
The premise? It's a bit weak. Jill's dad has died in a car accident and her mom has decided to adopt. What's odd is that she doesn't just adopt a baby after it is born, she invites the teenaged mother-to-be (Mandy) to her home for the final weeks of pregnancy. Is that done? If so, it's news to me. OK. So once we cross this suspension bridge of disbelief, we're ready to get caught up in the back and forth between a naive yet hardened Mandy, the product of a lower class upbringing, and snarky, yet self-loathing Jill, the daughter of privilege who is experiencing pain (Dad's death) and confusion for the first time in her heretofore cushy life. Watching the two girls circle each other, with Jill's mom as the beleaguered character in the middle, is, well, fun. And interesting because the characters are. Also, there's a bit of suspense as Mandy's due date approaches. What exactly will this unpredictable kid (who is about to have a kid) do?
So that's it. Confession over. Kudos to Zarr. She got me to admit something I thought I never would. A story of teenage pregnancy can actually deliver (if you'll pardon the pun). Girls will love it. Hopefully, too, they'll learn from it. Little babies make can make for big headaches.How to Save a Life Overview

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