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Swimming Sweet Arrow
Evangeline Starr Raybuck -- plain-spoken, lusty, and hardworking -- and June Keel are high school seniors, best friends going out with best friends, working together at Noecker's chicken farm after school. Vangie and June make out with their boyfriends together in the same car; they pass dirty notes to each other during the day at school. They tell each other everything: "That was the kind of friends we were".
After they graduate, things begin to shift. Vangie gets a job waitressing and moves in with Del; June, unable to get a job anywhere but the local factory, moves in with Ray and his older brother Luke. As they become more involved in their lives with their men, they see each other infrequently, but not so seldom that it doesn't become clear to Vangie that there's something dangerous going on, that June has crossed a line with the men in her life that even Vangie would not.
After they graduate, things begin to shift. Vangie gets a job waitressing and moves in with Del; June, unable to get a job anywhere but the local factory, moves in with Ray and his older brother Luke. As they become more involved in their lives with their men, they see each other infrequently, but not so seldom that it doesn't become clear to Vangie that there's something dangerous going on, that June has crossed a line with the men in her life that even Vangie would not.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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827 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Gibbon
7 books59 followersMaureen Gibbon is the author of Paris Red and two previous novels. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Playboy, Byliner, and elsewhere. She lives in Park Rapids, Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 19, 2014
God, I loved this book when I first read it. Still do, as a matter of fact.
Yeah, yeah to the pearl-clutchers who call it "vile" and "pornographic" (you must be SO much fun to hang out with!) just because the main character is a girl who actually enjoys sex! GASP HORROR SHOCK.
The tale of Vangie growing up and eventually, growing apart from those she once held dear, really hit my heart. It's one of the more realistic depictions of sex - in all its messiness - that I've ever read, and the dirty fun of the characters, and their intimate, raw lives, just never gets boring.
It strikes close to the bone with so much of the story - the friends who realize they really don't know each other anymore, the many many variations of sex, the rape, the pain, the awful squalid chicken farm, and the reality that becoming an adult sometimes means letting go of childish things.
Highly recommended - mainly, for its perfect characterization of Vangie, and for an author who isn't afraid to make her main character sexual. Love.
Yeah, yeah to the pearl-clutchers who call it "vile" and "pornographic" (you must be SO much fun to hang out with!) just because the main character is a girl who actually enjoys sex! GASP HORROR SHOCK.
The tale of Vangie growing up and eventually, growing apart from those she once held dear, really hit my heart. It's one of the more realistic depictions of sex - in all its messiness - that I've ever read, and the dirty fun of the characters, and their intimate, raw lives, just never gets boring.
It strikes close to the bone with so much of the story - the friends who realize they really don't know each other anymore, the many many variations of sex, the rape, the pain, the awful squalid chicken farm, and the reality that becoming an adult sometimes means letting go of childish things.
Highly recommended - mainly, for its perfect characterization of Vangie, and for an author who isn't afraid to make her main character sexual. Love.
December 17, 2021
First off, 1 star deduction for the last 10% of the ebook being nothing but book club discussion notes, recommended reading, random advertising, etc. That's padding, and it's cheap.
Otherwise, the writing in this book was excellent. It's a gritty story about a girl discovering her sexuality and learning about herself. It's dark and heavy on the sex, and the voice it's written in really puts you inside the main character's head.
Don't expect a happy, feel-good story with this one. It's more of a statement piece.
Otherwise, the writing in this book was excellent. It's a gritty story about a girl discovering her sexuality and learning about herself. It's dark and heavy on the sex, and the voice it's written in really puts you inside the main character's head.
Don't expect a happy, feel-good story with this one. It's more of a statement piece.
February 2, 2011
Maureen Gibbon’s novel, Swimming Sweet Arrow, is something of a surprise. The first surprise might be the very graphic sex. But the second surprise will most definitely be how affecting the novel’s narrator, 18 year old Vangie, is.
“When I was eighteen, I went parking with my boyfriend Del, my best friend June, and her boyfriend Del. What I mean is that June fucked Ray and I fucked Del in the same car, at the same time.”
Gibbon establishes Vangie’s voice- at once innocent and experienced- from the novel’s opening lines and from that moment on it’s hard to stop turning the pages as a year in Vangie’s life unfolds.
Vangie graduates from high school, moves in with Del, parties incessantly and slowly begins climbing out of her youth and into her adulthood. The success of the book is the way in which Gibbon writes Vangie, a character who never shies away from who she is or what she wants. And even when she makes horrible mistakes in judgment, Vangie never passes the buck. Despite the subject matter, which might be too-graphic for some, Vangie’s search for meaning, for love, and for a place to belong is a thing of beauty.
“When I was eighteen, I went parking with my boyfriend Del, my best friend June, and her boyfriend Del. What I mean is that June fucked Ray and I fucked Del in the same car, at the same time.”
Gibbon establishes Vangie’s voice- at once innocent and experienced- from the novel’s opening lines and from that moment on it’s hard to stop turning the pages as a year in Vangie’s life unfolds.
Vangie graduates from high school, moves in with Del, parties incessantly and slowly begins climbing out of her youth and into her adulthood. The success of the book is the way in which Gibbon writes Vangie, a character who never shies away from who she is or what she wants. And even when she makes horrible mistakes in judgment, Vangie never passes the buck. Despite the subject matter, which might be too-graphic for some, Vangie’s search for meaning, for love, and for a place to belong is a thing of beauty.
November 18, 2012
(This is a personal review.) I think I underrated this book for personal reasons. The writing was fine and the story was fine, but it hit too close to home and became painful to read. I've been in that car with my best friend doing those same things and I grew up with boys who belong in this story. A few years ago (in my teens), I might have loved it. I would have thought, "Hey, here is a book about people like me!". But, when I read it now I think, "Hey, here is a book about people I used to know. How very very sad."
With that said, I do think this book shows a devastatingly honest and realistic look into the life of small town kids who come from shady backgrounds. What is even worse, is that many, just like some in the story, never see that it's not normal or typical or even really acceptable. Some of those I considered friends grew up to continue the cycles of abuse and some fell so deep in drugs that there was no coming back. Others are now in jail for things as horrible and unthinkable as murder. Reading this book brings up painful memories and reminds me to be thankful that I got out whole.
I think that someone who isn't reading the book from the "inside", so to speak, might enjoy it much more.
With that said, I do think this book shows a devastatingly honest and realistic look into the life of small town kids who come from shady backgrounds. What is even worse, is that many, just like some in the story, never see that it's not normal or typical or even really acceptable. Some of those I considered friends grew up to continue the cycles of abuse and some fell so deep in drugs that there was no coming back. Others are now in jail for things as horrible and unthinkable as murder. Reading this book brings up painful memories and reminds me to be thankful that I got out whole.
I think that someone who isn't reading the book from the "inside", so to speak, might enjoy it much more.
February 10, 2016
This is one of those books that takes a long time to really hit you. That's not to say that it's a slow read; it's not. It's just that the depth of it hits hard and all at once. At least that's how it was for me.
In the tradition of literary minimalism and dirty realism, Gibbon presents us with a coming-of-age story centered on Vangie Raybuck, a teenage girl living in a poor rural town in an indeterminate decade. There's no way to dance around this so I'll just say it: this book is incredibly smutty. It focuses quite a bit on Vangie's defining sexual experiences, which are explicit, gritty, and raw.
Throughout the course of the story, Vangie's own sense of self emerges as she gradually drifts apart from her boyfriend and her best friend. She doesn't intentionally hurt anyone around her, but comes to learn that sometimes collateral damage is a consequence of being true to oneself.
The best part of this book is the way it's written. Vangie's voice is so frank and matter-of-fact. She presents things as they happen, and doesn't focus a whole lot on analyzing them. The style is reminiscent of Hemingway - and has also evoked comparisons to Raymond Carver.
In the tradition of literary minimalism and dirty realism, Gibbon presents us with a coming-of-age story centered on Vangie Raybuck, a teenage girl living in a poor rural town in an indeterminate decade. There's no way to dance around this so I'll just say it: this book is incredibly smutty. It focuses quite a bit on Vangie's defining sexual experiences, which are explicit, gritty, and raw.
Throughout the course of the story, Vangie's own sense of self emerges as she gradually drifts apart from her boyfriend and her best friend. She doesn't intentionally hurt anyone around her, but comes to learn that sometimes collateral damage is a consequence of being true to oneself.
The best part of this book is the way it's written. Vangie's voice is so frank and matter-of-fact. She presents things as they happen, and doesn't focus a whole lot on analyzing them. The style is reminiscent of Hemingway - and has also evoked comparisons to Raymond Carver.
February 5, 2013
I see folks saying how this book is pornographic and that the protagonist has no respect for herself but it only highlights what a lot of teenagers do & what a lot of them go through. Now whether you think that's unfortunate or not it's a matter of opinion.
Personally, I couldn't put this book down. I read it from start to finish in one sitting. It's real, it's raw, and the pace is good.
I like how in the end she finds herself and is strong enough to know what decision needs to be made. It only reflects our human nature of sometimes sticking to things/people that are wrong for us, yet we keep coming back. And it also reflects those moments when something clicks in our brains that we can do better and deserve better.
It's those teenage experiences that shape us, and it's those experiences that seek to make us grow, and if we grasp the lesson, we will grow. I think this book does a good job of showing that, & of showing how love/ infatuation really is blind & can inhibit us yet how self-realization can get us out of situations that don't serve us well.
It's worth a read.
Personally, I couldn't put this book down. I read it from start to finish in one sitting. It's real, it's raw, and the pace is good.
I like how in the end she finds herself and is strong enough to know what decision needs to be made. It only reflects our human nature of sometimes sticking to things/people that are wrong for us, yet we keep coming back. And it also reflects those moments when something clicks in our brains that we can do better and deserve better.
It's those teenage experiences that shape us, and it's those experiences that seek to make us grow, and if we grasp the lesson, we will grow. I think this book does a good job of showing that, & of showing how love/ infatuation really is blind & can inhibit us yet how self-realization can get us out of situations that don't serve us well.
It's worth a read.
February 23, 2020
Raw and real about where choices in your teens can lead. Not all parents would be thrilled about their teens reading something so graphic. The ending is okay at best.
July 14, 2015
I loved this book.
There are so many elements to this book, and it's something I need to mull over for a while, but I couldn't put it down.
I was hesitant to read because I disliked "Thief" by the same author. I found that book boring and crude with the main characters loathsome (and not in a good way).
But this book was intense. It was crude and honest and honestly crude. It was vile and dirty without making me feel dirty for reading it. Not smutty or erotic, just a story of young love, sexuality, and the coming of age in a small town without a moral compass.
Not for everyone. But definitely for some of you.
There are so many elements to this book, and it's something I need to mull over for a while, but I couldn't put it down.
I was hesitant to read because I disliked "Thief" by the same author. I found that book boring and crude with the main characters loathsome (and not in a good way).
But this book was intense. It was crude and honest and honestly crude. It was vile and dirty without making me feel dirty for reading it. Not smutty or erotic, just a story of young love, sexuality, and the coming of age in a small town without a moral compass.
Not for everyone. But definitely for some of you.
December 11, 2008
This book was a shockingly disturbing depiction of a white trash girl with zero respect for herself. It was pornographic and just vile. The only brief moment of relief came at the end when Vangie FINALLY left her repulsive boyfriend. This book was extremely graphic and not recommended for anyone under 21 and try not to eat right before you read it. This author has some serious issues to even think stuff like this up!!!
May 18, 2011
A criminally underrated book that explores female sexuality with no squeamishness whatsoever. Rhythmic, hypnotic, brutal and beautifully poetic. So many more people should read Maureen Gibbon, she's a true stylist and writes the kind of prose you can't tear yourself away from. Stunning.
December 28, 2014
I'd read all the reviews that said this book was sex-loaded and raunchy, but didn't really believe them. But, the other reviewers were right—this book does talk about sex a lot. Like most-of-the-book a lot.
But it's not erotic, per se, or even pornographic. It's just very, very frank. The narrator is a visceral person. She's really just a body, completely in tune with sensations. Everything she describes or experiences is physical. From work to getting high to sex. In fact, it's easy to think of the narrator as a body carrying around a brain, and the brain tries to make sense of all the stuff the body is doing. Our protagonist is no deep philosopher, but she does try to organize of all the sensations and feelings that come from them and recognize how they make her feel emotionally. And these experiences her body goes through are a little rough. A bad boyfriend, distant parents, unlikable jobs, and chronic drug use. She tries to understand them, as well as figure out how she feels about her best friend's two-timing, but even her contemplations usually end with physical sensations, such as guilt-laden sleepless nights.
Sometimes the narrator's inability to really dig deeper than sensation was frustrating. She goes through emotional rides in the novel, but often emerges on the other end of them without much introspection. More than once she struggled to understand a feeling, then, later says, "then I understood," but she never tells the reader what she understood about the feeling.
But the voice the author used for the character gets under your skin. It's straight-forward, honest, and often real voice. It was so effective that, even though I wasn't dazzled by the book, I want to read more by its author.
But it's not erotic, per se, or even pornographic. It's just very, very frank. The narrator is a visceral person. She's really just a body, completely in tune with sensations. Everything she describes or experiences is physical. From work to getting high to sex. In fact, it's easy to think of the narrator as a body carrying around a brain, and the brain tries to make sense of all the stuff the body is doing. Our protagonist is no deep philosopher, but she does try to organize of all the sensations and feelings that come from them and recognize how they make her feel emotionally. And these experiences her body goes through are a little rough. A bad boyfriend, distant parents, unlikable jobs, and chronic drug use. She tries to understand them, as well as figure out how she feels about her best friend's two-timing, but even her contemplations usually end with physical sensations, such as guilt-laden sleepless nights.
Sometimes the narrator's inability to really dig deeper than sensation was frustrating. She goes through emotional rides in the novel, but often emerges on the other end of them without much introspection. More than once she struggled to understand a feeling, then, later says, "then I understood," but she never tells the reader what she understood about the feeling.
But the voice the author used for the character gets under your skin. It's straight-forward, honest, and often real voice. It was so effective that, even though I wasn't dazzled by the book, I want to read more by its author.
January 10, 2008
I believe this is a debut book - a good one. Is it just me or do you too love sex, violence and rednecks? This book is basically Penthouse Forum, with a powerfully feminist core - even chicks with woolly knee socks open them at some point I guess. The sex scenes are delicious and nutritious. "It was on that dank, steamy night that I met two amputee cheerleaders....." ;) Wait, that was the penthouse.....
April 18, 2016
Vangie Rayburn spends most of her last year of school doing drugs and having sex with her boyfriend Del. Her big dream is to graduate, move in with Del, and have lots of sex. Vangie and her best friend like to boast that they are "young and dumb and full of come." Vangie is plagued by the usual litany of problems: abusive boyfriend with drug and alcohol problems, meaningless jobs, absent parents, troubled best friend.
July 24, 2012
It was one of those books I couldn't put down, but it did drone on in places. Some sexual violence, so don't read if you find that kind of thing triggery. Definitely the portrait of a sad, pitiful girl's life.
March 20, 2008
First dirty book I have ever read. I loved it.
August 6, 2020
The voice is very good. A lot of explicit sex; about halfway through it begins to seem too much, but as the nature of the sexual encounters changes over time, it reveals itself to be integral to the story, almost the story itself, a way the narrator has of understanding and expressing others' emotions and her own reactions to them. The book would be a less original work, perhaps something more like In the Cut, if the sex scenes were as explicit but less frequent.
The descriptions of manual labor reminded me of those in Fat City. The descriptions of the narrator's jobs: moving chickens from coop to truck and truck to coop, waitressing, picking pears, running a stand in a farmer's market are very well done and consistent in tone and level of detail with the sex scenes, giving the book a powerful and convincing consistency of voice. The events and attitudes are also highly believable in the rural Pennsylvania setting and early 1980s lower working class milieu.
The narrator, Evangeline, has a level of self awareness and ambition, unfocused at present, that puts her above the kind of "white trash" milieu of some of her acquaintances. Her best friend June seems to share these characteristics, but June's white trash status adheres to her as a kind of birthright; June is a Keel and everyone in Mahanaqua and the surrounding area knows nothing good can ever come from that family.
The descriptions of manual labor reminded me of those in Fat City. The descriptions of the narrator's jobs: moving chickens from coop to truck and truck to coop, waitressing, picking pears, running a stand in a farmer's market are very well done and consistent in tone and level of detail with the sex scenes, giving the book a powerful and convincing consistency of voice. The events and attitudes are also highly believable in the rural Pennsylvania setting and early 1980s lower working class milieu.
The narrator, Evangeline, has a level of self awareness and ambition, unfocused at present, that puts her above the kind of "white trash" milieu of some of her acquaintances. Her best friend June seems to share these characteristics, but June's white trash status adheres to her as a kind of birthright; June is a Keel and everyone in Mahanaqua and the surrounding area knows nothing good can ever come from that family.
June 20, 2025
I have never read anything like this book before. It was compelling, unique in tone, and just completely visceral. I was wincing through at least have of the book, yet I couldn’t stop reading. As explicit about awful things as it was, it didn’t feel gratuitous, it felt raw and honest about real shit that happens in our lives but that we don’t talk about. Nothing felt like it was impossible and every plot point made sense and added to the characterization. There were times where I felt like things could’ve been done differently, then I realized that they were done intentionally and that they made perfect sense. I loved watching Vangie grow up and discern what feels right and what doesn’t. I loved her quitting the restaurant and working at the pear orchard, I loved her questioning her relationship with June and coming to realize that June was not her friend, but mostly I loved how she explored her sexuality so openly. I found that there was so much nuance in the way Vangie experiences her body and sex. Does she go through awful experiences? Is she taken advantage of multiple times? Absolutely. Does that mean that she can’t enjoy sex or that sex is this terrible thing that the men in her life use to belittle her without her consent? I don’t think that’s the whole truth. It can be true that Vangie is taken advantage of sexually and enjoys sex at the same time and through her sexual experiences she delineates what she wants (or really doesn’t want) from her life, which is a huge part of growing up for so many young women. I really enjoyed this, Maureen Gibbon ate this up.
June 13, 2018
Mildly depressing read set in a small (Pennsylvania?) town where everyone has a dead-end job and spends their free time drinking and huffing PAM out of plastic bags (okay, that was one scene, but I did not know that was a thing, and am still vaguely shocked). Vangie and June are high school seniors and the best of friends. However, once they graduate and claim their own dead-end jobs, the young women begin to drift apart.
This book has been on my to-read list since 2011; otherwise, I would not have picked it up. I read it in the hours before bed last night and was left feeling gloomy and glum. I know small towns like this, and Gibbon's description was just too close to home. Also, icky sex.
This book has been on my to-read list since 2011; otherwise, I would not have picked it up. I read it in the hours before bed last night and was left feeling gloomy and glum. I know small towns like this, and Gibbon's description was just too close to home. Also, icky sex.
October 16, 2025
I put this on my "want to read" list like 15 years ago. And I'm so glad I actually got around to reading it.
Really provocative, direct, descriptive in a not gross but honest way. Very explicit but again, honest. I got that these people had troubles, were troubled. But no one looked at themselves or thought of themselves as victims and that part was refreshing. The female main character was just exactly who she was and I loved it. I could have read like 300 more pages.
Really provocative, direct, descriptive in a not gross but honest way. Very explicit but again, honest. I got that these people had troubles, were troubled. But no one looked at themselves or thought of themselves as victims and that part was refreshing. The female main character was just exactly who she was and I loved it. I could have read like 300 more pages.
March 29, 2018
This is the kind of book I like. It gets right to the point. It’s an open wide view into the lives of small town teenagers in dead end situations. It’s not sugar coated and it’s in your face, just like real life. If you like those kinds of books then give this one a read.
May 23, 2022
Depressing story about teenagers/young adults trying to find their path in life. They come from dysfunctional families, have dysfunctional relationships, and continuously make poor choices. Teenage she was the dominant theme throughout. I did not like this one.
December 31, 2025
Graphic sex but not sexy. Disturbing in a way that you know things like this happen and how the main character handles things by internalizing and working things out in her own way. I've been thinking about it a lot since I finished it.
June 26, 2017
Vangie's voice is quite unique and so damn strong. This book is unlike any other book I've read.
October 11, 2018
3.5 stars! Interesting and extremely graphic read! I love these types of books that you can relate to!! A page turner. A quick read.
May 14, 2025
Very detailed and dove deep into all types of relationships
February 6, 2014
There is a lot going on in this book and anyone who calls it vile, pornographic, or sexist clearly grew up in a privileged home with sexually repressed parents and are probably still sexually repressed themselves.
I really appreciated the truth of this book. The book opens with something like " the truth about girls that no one talks about". True fact, teenage girls like sex! They have a lot of it, they are exploring their bodies and developing into what they will become as adults. The sex in this book is mutually agreed upon (with one or two grey area encounters). More than just liking sex, teenage girls realize that sex is power! This is the story of two girls who grow into their sexuality and take control of it as well as their fate. June and Vangie take control in different ways with different outcomes in parallel story lines that show how one or two poor decisions can dictate the rest of the lives for girls with limited family support and means.
Possible spoiler beyond here:
Vangie grows up in a house hold where her parents do want what is best for her, but they can't be bothered to give it to her. She has a lack of supervision, limited moral guidance from parents who drink to get drunk, and no guardian or mentor. She isn't abused, but she isn't supported either.
Her best friend, June, is from a family know about the town for less than desirable morals and it's indicated that she may have been abused.
Both Vangie and June get into "drinking, drugging, and screwing", even though both of them do well in school and are able to hold down jobs and boyfriends in high school. Instead of moving out of town after graduation, they take what jobs they can get and "shack up" with their boyfriends as they try to decide what they want in life.
Vangie thinks that she is in love, but she starts to realize that her boyfriend isn't going anywhere and that he wants to control her life. She is smart enough to know that she doesn't want a child in her early 20s and that a child means that she can never leave. She has surprisingly good morals in most situations, especially related to her work ethic and relationship. The exception being two sexual encounters, one with her boyfriend's brother when they were all still in high school and probably related to this newfound sexual power that she feels wearing a black neglige for the first time alone with her boyfriend having open adult sex in a house without parents. The other encounter was an effort to punish herself and her boyfriend for poor decisions. Things go too far and she can't stop it because she asked for it, but he takes advantage and hurts and humiliates her. It's unclear if this is just his personality or if he is trying to punish her for her relationship with his sister or trying to punish her for her cheating on her boyfriend.
June knows that she doesn't love her boyfriend, but moves in with him and his brother. She falls for his brother, or just the lust of lusting, and continues relationships with both of them. She also makes some odd passes at Vangie indicating that she is more into sex as power than as an emotional act. It also, to me, indicates that she realizes that she won't have this power forever and that she is trying to wield it while she can. She is at a shitty job in a garment factory that she isn't likely to ever escape from. This is her life.
Vangie finally decides to get out after her boyfriend tried to force her to get pregnant because he thinks that having a baby will fix his life. Between this,his lack of personal development, and his increasing sexual violence during drinking, she finally realizes that she doesn't need him. June wasn't so lucky. Her boyfriend is killed by his brother and she is severely beaten for cheating. She will live her life as a social outcast with everyone in town knowing her story and judging her for the rest of her life.
What is so hard about this story is that this is reality. There are so many bright young women who stay in the same fruitless situation because they don't have the skills, experience, or courage necessary to start a new life somewhere else. It's pretty easy for trust fund kids to travel the world with a steady home base of good 'ol mom and dad. But when you can't count on mom and dad, what security do you have to try to change your life?
I really appreciated the truth of this book. The book opens with something like " the truth about girls that no one talks about". True fact, teenage girls like sex! They have a lot of it, they are exploring their bodies and developing into what they will become as adults. The sex in this book is mutually agreed upon (with one or two grey area encounters). More than just liking sex, teenage girls realize that sex is power! This is the story of two girls who grow into their sexuality and take control of it as well as their fate. June and Vangie take control in different ways with different outcomes in parallel story lines that show how one or two poor decisions can dictate the rest of the lives for girls with limited family support and means.
Possible spoiler beyond here:
Vangie grows up in a house hold where her parents do want what is best for her, but they can't be bothered to give it to her. She has a lack of supervision, limited moral guidance from parents who drink to get drunk, and no guardian or mentor. She isn't abused, but she isn't supported either.
Her best friend, June, is from a family know about the town for less than desirable morals and it's indicated that she may have been abused.
Both Vangie and June get into "drinking, drugging, and screwing", even though both of them do well in school and are able to hold down jobs and boyfriends in high school. Instead of moving out of town after graduation, they take what jobs they can get and "shack up" with their boyfriends as they try to decide what they want in life.
Vangie thinks that she is in love, but she starts to realize that her boyfriend isn't going anywhere and that he wants to control her life. She is smart enough to know that she doesn't want a child in her early 20s and that a child means that she can never leave. She has surprisingly good morals in most situations, especially related to her work ethic and relationship. The exception being two sexual encounters, one with her boyfriend's brother when they were all still in high school and probably related to this newfound sexual power that she feels wearing a black neglige for the first time alone with her boyfriend having open adult sex in a house without parents. The other encounter was an effort to punish herself and her boyfriend for poor decisions. Things go too far and she can't stop it because she asked for it, but he takes advantage and hurts and humiliates her. It's unclear if this is just his personality or if he is trying to punish her for her relationship with his sister or trying to punish her for her cheating on her boyfriend.
June knows that she doesn't love her boyfriend, but moves in with him and his brother. She falls for his brother, or just the lust of lusting, and continues relationships with both of them. She also makes some odd passes at Vangie indicating that she is more into sex as power than as an emotional act. It also, to me, indicates that she realizes that she won't have this power forever and that she is trying to wield it while she can. She is at a shitty job in a garment factory that she isn't likely to ever escape from. This is her life.
Vangie finally decides to get out after her boyfriend tried to force her to get pregnant because he thinks that having a baby will fix his life. Between this,his lack of personal development, and his increasing sexual violence during drinking, she finally realizes that she doesn't need him. June wasn't so lucky. Her boyfriend is killed by his brother and she is severely beaten for cheating. She will live her life as a social outcast with everyone in town knowing her story and judging her for the rest of her life.
What is so hard about this story is that this is reality. There are so many bright young women who stay in the same fruitless situation because they don't have the skills, experience, or courage necessary to start a new life somewhere else. It's pretty easy for trust fund kids to travel the world with a steady home base of good 'ol mom and dad. But when you can't count on mom and dad, what security do you have to try to change your life?
January 9, 2010
I picked this book up at a thrift store because I needed something to read. The back cover caught my attention with its promise of sex.
The writing was accessible, and by that I mean I could have read this book when I was in 6th grade. Reading this book was no challenge, and I sure didn't need a dictionary close by because there were no new words to learn.
There was a lot of sex. Good sex. Bad sex. Violent sex. Infidelity. Sex the narrator regretted. Sex that probably should not have happened. But with all the sex, this book was not very erotic. The story did not turn me on. The whole thing kind of made me uncomfortable, as if I were the one having sex I shouldn't be having.
I did appreciate that the protagonist was a working class gal who had a series of physically demanding jobs. (She worked on a chicken farm, as a waitress in dumpy restaurant, and as a pear picker before getting a job running a fruit stand.) It's not often enough that I see working class women sympathetically represented in novels. (Maybe I've been reading the wrong books).
I also liked that the protagonist mostly enjoyed sex, especially early on in her relationship with her boyfriend. I liked that although she had to figure out how to have orgasms, once she knew how, she was committed to her own pleasure. I like that anal and oral sex were included in her repertoire, that "sex" did not only mean "intercourse." I liked that she masturbated for pleasure, but also to heal her damaged sexuality after a distasteful sexual encounter.
Maybe I would have liked this book better if I had read it as a younger woman. I think I am a bit older than the intended audience.
I have one more beef with book, this one not about the writing at all.
I know authors practically never have any control over the covers of their books, so I don't hold Maureen Gibbon responsible for the photo on the front of this one. But come on Back Bay Books! Did you really need to use a young woman's vulva as a marketing tool? (If you can't tell from the thumbnail photo, the front cover photo shows a young woman diving into water. Her vulva, covered only by the thin strip of fabric of her bathing suit, is prominently featured. If she had any pubic hair, it would totally show. I think it's sensational and unnecessary.)
The writing was accessible, and by that I mean I could have read this book when I was in 6th grade. Reading this book was no challenge, and I sure didn't need a dictionary close by because there were no new words to learn.
There was a lot of sex. Good sex. Bad sex. Violent sex. Infidelity. Sex the narrator regretted. Sex that probably should not have happened. But with all the sex, this book was not very erotic. The story did not turn me on. The whole thing kind of made me uncomfortable, as if I were the one having sex I shouldn't be having.
I did appreciate that the protagonist was a working class gal who had a series of physically demanding jobs. (She worked on a chicken farm, as a waitress in dumpy restaurant, and as a pear picker before getting a job running a fruit stand.) It's not often enough that I see working class women sympathetically represented in novels. (Maybe I've been reading the wrong books).
I also liked that the protagonist mostly enjoyed sex, especially early on in her relationship with her boyfriend. I liked that although she had to figure out how to have orgasms, once she knew how, she was committed to her own pleasure. I like that anal and oral sex were included in her repertoire, that "sex" did not only mean "intercourse." I liked that she masturbated for pleasure, but also to heal her damaged sexuality after a distasteful sexual encounter.
Maybe I would have liked this book better if I had read it as a younger woman. I think I am a bit older than the intended audience.
I have one more beef with book, this one not about the writing at all.
I know authors practically never have any control over the covers of their books, so I don't hold Maureen Gibbon responsible for the photo on the front of this one. But come on Back Bay Books! Did you really need to use a young woman's vulva as a marketing tool? (If you can't tell from the thumbnail photo, the front cover photo shows a young woman diving into water. Her vulva, covered only by the thin strip of fabric of her bathing suit, is prominently featured. If she had any pubic hair, it would totally show. I think it's sensational and unnecessary.)
February 23, 2017
An honest, sometimes painful, exploration of teenage girls' sexuality and intimate relationships. Not always comfortable but a very compelling read...
January 23, 2021
I loved this book. I can see why people might focus on the graphic sex and pornographic nature, but it was more than that. There's such raw emotion and feeling; the characters are so similar to people I grew up with. It is depressing at times, but sometimes I need a story like that.
March 31, 2011
i read this years ago (it had to be like 10 years ago now that i think of it), and remember being delighted by the frequent and graphic sex that happens pretty early on. it was such a surprise, especially since i only grabbed this book because the cover was pretty.
as i read on through the actual story, i grew to dislike the narrator. a lot. the only reason i remember this book so well is because it's the first time i really remember being disgusted by such a weak excuse for a woman. when i was reading this, i was about the same age as she was, with a terrible boyfriend too, so i wanted to be able to relate to her so badly. but she made so many poor choices, demonstrated repeatedly that she had no self-respect and no ambition, and was a generally disappointing human being. it was a real turn-off.
for a coming of age novel, this was good, and was what got me into that "genre" (if you can call it one) in the first place. that said, i liked the idea of this; i just wish our protagonist was easier to sympathize with.
as i read on through the actual story, i grew to dislike the narrator. a lot. the only reason i remember this book so well is because it's the first time i really remember being disgusted by such a weak excuse for a woman. when i was reading this, i was about the same age as she was, with a terrible boyfriend too, so i wanted to be able to relate to her so badly. but she made so many poor choices, demonstrated repeatedly that she had no self-respect and no ambition, and was a generally disappointing human being. it was a real turn-off.
for a coming of age novel, this was good, and was what got me into that "genre" (if you can call it one) in the first place. that said, i liked the idea of this; i just wish our protagonist was easier to sympathize with.
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