From goodreads.com
Katie has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone: her much-loved mother is dead; her new school is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall far short of being ideal companions. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is handsome, far older than she, and married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring.
I didn't recall the premise of this book, so when I picked it up and read the description, I was excited to see that it was something that really was going to interest me. I was disappointed at first to find out that this was the second of Berg's books about this character. When I find this out, usually I will put a book down until I acquire the first of the books so I read them as they were written.
I chose not to do this in this case (see Book Buying Ban), so I jumped in feet first to this novel. It was a quick read for me. Berg moved the story quickly, but I don't think she left anything out. She was able to weave the characters and the story together very well.
I was surprised by the maturity of the main character, Katie, who is only 13 years old. But at the same time there were things she was very naive about. It made me wonder if Berg had difficulty writing from the perspective of someone so young. That maybe she sometimes slipped into the mindset of someone older and wiser, and then remembered that actually the perspective was a 13 year old.
In Joy School, Katie finds her "first love" an older boy, age 23, who is married with a kid. She invest a lot of energy and mind space to the "future" she and Jimmy will share. How many of us have spent hours and hours dreaming of our "perfect love" and how great the future will be? I got lost in Katie's imagination, and it was a nice refreshing read to be lost in the young love (read: crush) that she was experiencing.
Near the end of the book, she said, "No one will ever understand this feeling. No one would ever believe that he was the one." I found myself, even after having read the whole story, realizing that I too didn't believe that he was the one for her. I understood her feeling of hopelessness, but I knew she would have feelings for another later in her life. It is interesting to me to read a book, and get lost in the imagination of a young girl, but at the same time not truly believe that she is hopeless when even she says she is hopeless.
Katie's mom has passed away and her father is in the military, so Katie and he have moved around a lot. What I know of military brats (which isn't a lot by any means) is that they are often less vulnerable and usually are more guarded of their emotions. Katie was completely opposite to this, and I believe Berg did this on purpose. We see a different side of someone who moves around a lot. She had a hard time making friends (typical), and the friends she made were not often the best influences on her (typical), but she shows a lot of emotion with them(atypical). She doesn't seem as reserved as I would expect of someone with her background.
I enjoyed this book, and enjoyed the characters and the story they told. I appreciate Berg's point of view. I have not read any of Berg's other novels, but I am intrigued to do so, and will most likely at least pick up the prequel to this book, Durable Goods.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
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