Lucy Scarborough is the main character in the novel, "Impossible," by Nancy Werlin. has spent her life with her adoptive parents because her mother, Miranda, is insane. Lucy manages to lead an eminently normal life interspersed with occasional random visits from Miranda, who is never really lucid beyond mumbling strange lyrics to "Scarborough Fair." But when prom night turns disastrous for Lucy it sets into motion an unbelievable chain of events and they all lead back to Miranda and an awful curse the Scarborough women have suffered under for centuries. Soon Lucy is rushing to beat the devil and save herself from insanity and her unborn daughter from sharing her unbearable fate. Generations ago an angry elfin knight placed a curse on the young women of the Scarborough clan. Each girl became pregnant as a teen and upon giving birth to a daughter, each girl went insane. The only way to break the curse was to complete three tasks described in the lyrics of the song. Until now it seemed the curse would carry on forever. Early in the story, Lucy is preparing for her prom and her date with Gray Spencer. As the couple is posing for pictures and is about to leave for the evening, the unthinkable happens. Miranda shows up in her baggy T-shirt and flowing skirt, pushing her rusty shopping cart full of bottles and cans. Everyone is shocked when she begins to attack, throwing glass bottles at everyone in the yard. She is finally hauled away by the police, but not before Gray makes a get-away in his new car, leaving Lucy humiliated and dateless. Just when Lucy is ready to give up on him and attend the prom with a long-time childhood friend, Gray returns, apologizes for running off, and begs her to still be his date. She happily accepts, but it proves to be the beginning of yet another horrible experience. As the two are leaving the prom later that evening, Gray takes Lucy aside and forces himself on her. The experience is not only terrible, but also puzzling as Lucy tries to connect the gentle high school boy with the vicious act and the sinister voice she hears during that attack. Weeks after the prom, Lucy discovers she has followed in the footsteps of the Scarborough women and become a pregnant teen. Will her fate be the same? Will she give birth to a daughter, and will she lose her mind? Werlin creates an interesting mix of past and present. Lucy seems one moment to be a typical teen, and the next, the victim of an ancient evil. The turning of each page reveals another fact about the family curse. The lyrics of the song provide the clues necessary to break the curse, but those clues are not crystal clear and require creative solutions from Lucy and her helpful family and friends. Encouraged by hope and love, Lucy fights to change the direction of her life at the same time as she learns to accept the hand fate has dealt. This is an outstanding thriller based on the Scarborough Fair ballad with a Brothers Grimm Grim like spin that older readers will appreciate due to an excellent tense story line and strong characterizations. This is a book is for children in the 13 and above because it deals with issues like sex, and pregnancy. It had a lot of adventure and suspenseful moments involved in it. Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Nothings Impossible
Lucy Scarborough is the main character in the novel, "Impossible," by Nancy Werlin. has spent her life with her adoptive parents because her mother, Miranda, is insane. Lucy manages to lead an eminently normal life interspersed with occasional random visits from Miranda, who is never really lucid beyond mumbling strange lyrics to "Scarborough Fair." But when prom night turns disastrous for Lucy it sets into motion an unbelievable chain of events and they all lead back to Miranda and an awful curse the Scarborough women have suffered under for centuries. Soon Lucy is rushing to beat the devil and save herself from insanity and her unborn daughter from sharing her unbearable fate. Generations ago an angry elfin knight placed a curse on the young women of the Scarborough clan. Each girl became pregnant as a teen and upon giving birth to a daughter, each girl went insane. The only way to break the curse was to complete three tasks described in the lyrics of the song. Until now it seemed the curse would carry on forever. Early in the story, Lucy is preparing for her prom and her date with Gray Spencer. As the couple is posing for pictures and is about to leave for the evening, the unthinkable happens. Miranda shows up in her baggy T-shirt and flowing skirt, pushing her rusty shopping cart full of bottles and cans. Everyone is shocked when she begins to attack, throwing glass bottles at everyone in the yard. She is finally hauled away by the police, but not before Gray makes a get-away in his new car, leaving Lucy humiliated and dateless. Just when Lucy is ready to give up on him and attend the prom with a long-time childhood friend, Gray returns, apologizes for running off, and begs her to still be his date. She happily accepts, but it proves to be the beginning of yet another horrible experience. As the two are leaving the prom later that evening, Gray takes Lucy aside and forces himself on her. The experience is not only terrible, but also puzzling as Lucy tries to connect the gentle high school boy with the vicious act and the sinister voice she hears during that attack. Weeks after the prom, Lucy discovers she has followed in the footsteps of the Scarborough women and become a pregnant teen. Will her fate be the same? Will she give birth to a daughter, and will she lose her mind? Werlin creates an interesting mix of past and present. Lucy seems one moment to be a typical teen, and the next, the victim of an ancient evil. The turning of each page reveals another fact about the family curse. The lyrics of the song provide the clues necessary to break the curse, but those clues are not crystal clear and require creative solutions from Lucy and her helpful family and friends. Encouraged by hope and love, Lucy fights to change the direction of her life at the same time as she learns to accept the hand fate has dealt. This is an outstanding thriller based on the Scarborough Fair ballad with a Brothers Grimm Grim like spin that older readers will appreciate due to an excellent tense story line and strong characterizations. This is a book is for children in the 13 and above because it deals with issues like sex, and pregnancy. It had a lot of adventure and suspenseful moments involved in it. 
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4 comments:
Though the story is obviously fiction, it does touch on the viscious cycle of teen pregnancy that occurs. Like a curse, many children of teen mothers often find themselves a teen parent themselves. Often, this is the case for generations until something breaks the chain. It may not be direct, and a little bit of a stretch, but I immediately thought of this after reading the description.
I am glad to hear that Lucy is fighting to change her life and not settle for the hand that she was dealt. I think this is an important for young adults to know that just because there may have been a pattern of destruction in their families, they can change the future.
Donna
This book sounds so complex and riveting!! As Mallaroy said, teenage pregnancy is usually a cycle passed from mother to daughter and continues. Sounds like a good book to give students hope that they, too, can escape their "fate".
Donna I agree with you about how to not settle for the hand you are dealt. Girls that read this might get motivation from this book whether they have teen pregnancy or come from a broken household or do not have a lot of money, it is motivation to strive for the best they can get.
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