Everything You Want (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Everything You Want Deborah Stevenson Shoup, Barbara; Everything You Want;. Flux, 2008; [312p] ISBN 978-0-7387-1227-7 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12 A winning Lotto Cash ticket means a $50 million windfall for Emma's family, and for Emma it seems like the ideal solution: she's been an unhappy, insecure freshman at college, unable to get over a high-school crush who never turned from boy friend to boyfriend, so the excuse to leave is welcome. The money seems to complicate as much as it helps, though, with Emma's mother weighted down by guilt and the breadth of possibility and Emma's older sister finding that the way she handles her unexpected riches is poisoning her new relationship. Meanwhile, Emma's discovering that her problems didn't get left behind at college, and that she can't spend away the self-doubt that she carries with her like a shield. While the story is somewhat rambling and talky, it depicts Emma's difficulty in moving on to adulthood with sympathetic perceptivity. Her narration is sharp yet revealing, and it's particularly illuminating to see how much she's missing because she can't believe she's worthy of other people's interest, romantic and otherwise; other characters are vivid as well, especially her sweet, perky college roommate Tiffany, Emma's polar opposite yet doggedly loyal friend, who tries to tell Emma about the possibilities available to her. The sudden-wealth plot runs as an undercurrent through the book, notable in Emma more for what it doesn't change than what it does, even as the shakeup in her family forces her to finally define herself individually. This will be an interesting counterpoint to Caletti's recent bonanza tale, The Fortunes of Indigo Skye (BCCB 3/08), and it will offer some reassurance to teens wondering about their own forthcoming family separation. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois