The Girl with the Mermaid Hair

by Delia Ephron

Overview

Click. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. Click. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. Click. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome—anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy.” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers, show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever.

Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Delia Ephron crafts a powerful novel of truth, beauty, and the secrets about family and friends that lie beneath perfection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061990588
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/05/2010
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	328 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Delia Ephron is a critically acclaimed novelist and screenwriter. Her most recent book, Frannie in Pieces, received four starred reviews, was a Book Sense Pick, and was named to the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. She is also the author of Big City Eyes, Hanging Up, and How to Eat Like a Child. Her screenwriting credits include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, You've Got Mail, Bewitched, Hanging Up, and Michael. She lives in New York City with her husband and their dog, Honey Pansy Cornflower Bernice Mambo Kass.

Editorial Reviews

Sukie Jamieson, the vain yet glaringly insecure teenage protagonist of Ephron's (Frannie in Pieces) second YA novel, has a lot on her mind. Is her hair—“worthy of worship”—in its proper place? Does the slope of her nose accentuate or detract from her almost-perfect profile? Will star quarterback Bobo, who tells her, “I really like your body-fat ratio,” ever ask her out? Matters get only slightly less trivial when her faux-glam mother returns from an extended stay at the spa with a facelift (but even less self-esteem), and her father gets beat up by an unknown man. Ephron keeps the reason for the assault under wraps for quite a while, and the gravity of Sukie's parents' collapsing marriage is overshadowed by Sukie's complaints about her image and want of friends, and her mother's plastic surgery woes. The parallels to the descent of a certain Oscar Wilde character are obvious, and teens who use this book like Sukie uses her grandmother's antique full-length mirror, which cracks and erodes over the course of the novel, may be similarly conflicted about what they see. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Ephron pokes fun at the notion that the rich and handsome lead perfect, happy lives. Beautiful 15-year-old Sukie (Susannah Danielle Jamieson) is in love with her image. She constantly admires herself in any reflective surface, and when nothing is available, she snaps a "selfie" with her cell phone. The possibility that she might be unoriginal and uncreative nags at her. When Sukie is given her grandmother's full-length mirror, she spends more time in front of it fantasizing about life than experiencing it. Sukie's family is so dysfunctional they seek advice from their dog. The author adeptly creates atmosphere without scrimping on plot and humorously explores the effects of narcissism and parental infidelity on families and a teen's self-esteem. Fans of Frannie in Pieces (2007) will enjoy the inclusion of characters Frannie and Jenna, who save Sukie from despair. Utilizing Frannie's artistic flair, the trio takes the now cracked mirror and uses it to create art. Having begun deliberately, the story moves quickly to its satisfying conclusion. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Gr 7–10—Narcissistic, naive, beautiful, and rich, 15-year-old suburbanite Sukie learns that being real is preferable to being perfect when a series of messy truths (primarily discovering her father's affair) challenge her illusions. The central point of the novel—the teen's vanity—is exhaustingly revisited between minor forays into plot-furthering events; probably three quarters of the book's pages are devoted to the protagonist evaluating her pose, stride, clothes, hair, make-up, voice-modulation, etc. Readers may disagree as to whether this makes Sukie significantly realistic and empathetic or simply an over-the-top vehicle for Ephron's message. The only two supporting characters given more than cursory outlines are Sukie's parents, who are also shallow, blithe, and self-obsessed. There is also some half-baked hocus pocus with an image-morphing mirror and an omniscient dog. This title will hit home with some girls and preach others to sleep. Strictly an additional purchase.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library

School Library Journal

Sukie is a self-absorbed, friendless teen hiding in a fantasy life in which she elevates herself above her “less intelligent” and “less beautiful” peers. Mom uses alcohol and plastic surgery to distract herself from her loneliness while Dad tries to flirt his way to a more satisfying life. Narrator Sarah Drew captures Sukie's snarky attitude, which hides loneliness and lack of confidence behind a mask of bravado. Drew also nails Sukie’s whiny, neglected mother and the false sincerity of her father, who thinks he's everyone's best pal. Thanks to the magic of an antique mirror that belonged her grandmother, Sukie ultimately sees her own emptiness and becomes the most mature character in this story. But the listener may have abandoned this pathetic family long before that happens. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2010 - AudioFile

Sukie is a self-absorbed, friendless teen hiding in a fantasy life in which she elevates herself above her “less intelligent” and “less beautiful” peers. Mom uses alcohol and plastic surgery to distract herself from her loneliness while Dad tries to flirt his way to a more satisfying life. Narrator Sarah Drew captures Sukie's snarky attitude, which hides loneliness and lack of confidence behind a mask of bravado. Drew also nails Sukie’s whiny, neglected mother and the false sincerity of her father, who thinks he's everyone's best pal. Thanks to the magic of an antique mirror that belonged her grandmother, Sukie ultimately sees her own emptiness and becomes the most mature character in this story. But the listener may have abandoned this pathetic family long before that happens. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2010 - AudioFile