Alice Bliss is a typical teenager. She is 13, lives with her parents and sometimes annoying younger sister, has a best friend with whom she shares everything, and is noticing boys for the first time. However, there is little in her life that seems normal these days. When her dad gets called up to active duty in the armed forces, Alice takes to wearing his shirt every day and trying to be strong for her devastated mom.

"...a beautifully wrought tale of a young girl growing up in small-town America during our most recent years of craziness and warfare --- and all that this does to one family." 

Laura Harrington’s first novel is a beautifully wrought tale of a young girl growing up in small-town America during our most recent years of craziness and warfare --- and all that this does to one family. Alice grows up throughout the book, learning to drive, falling in love for the first time, and finding success on the track team. But the one constant amidst her adventures is the need to take care of her mom while her dad is away, a seminal relationship that buoys her.

It is rare for a novel to focus so fully on the relationship between a father and a daughter. In most contemporary books with girl protagonists, it would seem that the rapport they have with each other is not always a positive one. However, Alice’s story is built around the way she is affected by both of her parents, and the difference between those two relationships helps to explain the remarkable strengths and age-appropriate weaknesses of this multi-dimensional young woman.

War stories are widespread these days; after all, the U.S. has been at war for the last decade. With the upcoming 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, there are sure to be many more. ALICE BLISS is a very affecting one, an OUR TOWN-like examination, through the life of one typical girl, of the effects that wartime has on everyone.

Although not necessarily a young adult novel, it would be a great, compelling read for teenagers. A story this interesting and yet this sweet is hard to come by, so I think it would be a wonderful conversation starter for kids all over the country who are going through what Alice is dealing with. Engaging and sweet, ALICE BLISS is a great book.