Baltimore, the 70s.
Mary Jane is just another typical American teenager, living with her typical American family, in a typical American white neighbourhood.
Sundays is the church, Saturdays is the club, where the neighbours gather, while the service is entrusted to black people. Everything must fit in certain standards and habits that everybody accepts.
Mary Jane's father is a lawyer, little involved in his family issues - unless there are problems to solve, creases to straighten. Her mother is a housewife, concerned with running the house and teaching her daughter how to run the house and which values to pursue.
This uneventful life goes on undisturbed until Mary Jane finds a summer job as baby sitter at the Cones. As soon as she sets foot in their house, she finds herself in a different place, a different world from the one she knows - like Alice stepping through the looking glass or falling in the rabbit hole.
The Cones are different in many ways: they are not interested in order, in cooking regular meals; they hug, kiss, are not afraid of talking about feelings and even sex. Even more difference comes into the story when Dr. Cone starts treating Jimmy, a rockstar and drug addict, who therefore moves into the Cone household with his wife, gorgeous movie star Sheba.
There is a special summer in everybody's life and this is THE summer for Mary Jane. She will learn a lot about herself, her own family and diversity. And yes, sex.
This novel is a kind of Stand By Me meets Almost Famous: it is a summer of discoveries, of growing up for good or for bad and it's also full of songs from the 70s, which make a wonderful soundtrack for your reading - should you wish to look them up to better get into the book atmosphere.
It's also rich in tenderness, especially coming from 5-year old Izzy. She is a bit unreal (in my experience, 5-year olds are never that cute, obedient, nice and always smiling) but still, her voice is sort of helping Mary Jane transitioning from being an adolescent into being an adult.
A bit of disappointment came from the ending, with the bitter part just hitting the nail on the head but the sweet one being maybe too sweet.
But there are books that can make you feel good. And this is one of them.
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| Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is coming out in May 2021. |
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