lock and key

by Sarah Dessen

Ruby is used to her mother being irresponsible. She's used to having her mother come home drunk, often with another man. She's used to having to help her with her job. She's used to getting no emotional support from her. But it surprises her when her mother just doesn't come home at all one night. After two weeks, Ruby realizes her mother isn't coming back. If she can just hold on for a few months until she turns 18, she will be home free. But it gets harder and harder. She can't pay the rent and the water is turned off. Finally, the landlord gets suspicious, and calls in social services, and the game is up. She is sent to live with her older sister Cora, who left home ten years ago to go to college and never came back. Her sister is married to a wealthy man, a good man, and Ruby's life changes overnight. But she has locked away her heart, and finds it difficult to open herself up to love. It takes the patience of her sister and the friendship of Nate, the guy across the alley, to unlock her heart for the first time in a long time.

Dessen hits the nail on the head with her new novel about teens who learn how to survive when the adults in their lives fail them.

--reviewed by Dail Sams