William Kowalski2003
ISBN 0 385 60556 0
Flash Jackson, the alter-ego of 17 year old Haley, is a stuntman looking for adventure in rural America. Horse-riding, swimming, climbing trees - it's all part of summer, so far as Flash is concerned. Until Haley goes through the roof of an old barn, shattering her leg in three places and guaranteeing a summer spent enclosed in plaster.
Going from a running start to a screeching halt, Haley starts examining her relationships with the people around her, starting with the fact her mother drives her insane. After her closest friend breaks her heart, she retreats into the woods, living with her crazy Grandmother and learning about her heritage, which alters the tone of the story from real and funny to something mysterious and fascinating.
The change is gradual, with hints right from the beginning of her friendship with Elizabeth Powell, and by the time Haley learns about her grandmother's truth, she is a different person to the Flash Jackson we met at the beginning of the book.
The main problem I had with this book was keeping the time period straight in my mind. Although Haley mentions that they live in the twenty-first century, the language and attitudes seem to be more mid-50's or so, and stumbling over references to modern gadgets like dishwashers and cellphones is a bit jarring. Getting tangled up in the wrong time period only seemed to make the book more interesting though, and the clash between forest life and modern life is only emphasised more because of it.
Date Finished: 20/07/07
Year Total: 21
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