The 'Eagle Times' Student Newspaper

Dessen satiates her fans with another staggering book

By Calla Mounkes

September 15, 2004

Acclaimed author Sarah Dessen is renowned for writing books that teenagers can relate to involving loss, change and love. Dessen released a new book in May entitled "The Truth About Forever." This book follows Macy as she ventures out of the carefully constructed, predictable life she has created for herself after the death of her dad.

After her boyfriend leaves for Brain Camp, Macy prepares herself for a monotonous summer full of working at the library, filling in for Jason, her boyfriend, studying for the SATs, and helping her mom sell houses.

Then she meets Delia who owns and runs Wish Catering with her nephews and some neighbors. Chaotic, unpredictable Delia hires Macy.

Macy loves her past being unknown to her newfound friends until her past is uncovered. But luckily, the Wish employees, unlike everyone else, don't only associate her with the death of her father. They have also experienced loss and in turn, don't pity her.

Wes, a talented artist who has an interesting past, is friends with Macy and throughout the book they have an ongoing game of Truth and Dare -- without the Dare part. She comes to know him better than anyone she had ever met.

As all this is occurring, Macy's sister is renovating their old beach house. The house her dad loved has been ignored and has fallen into a state of dilapidation since his death. This drags up old memories when Caroline brings home a package their dad left for Macy in the house. Macy stores the package and forgets about it until the end of the book when the contents are revealed. A startling connection is made among the characters in the book.

Macy’s mom then forbids Macy to ever see her friends again. Macy's afraid that her life hasn't changed at all, that she is still the scared, shy girl she was at the beginning of the summer. But she realizes she is wrong. Everything has changed, including her perspective on life.

This book about a faltering girl who broadens her horizons over a summer and becomes much more confident is incredibly believable. The interactions and portrayals of the characters are convincing. Macy typically denies the unique relationship between her and Wes that Wish hors d'oeuvre server Kristy suspects. The conversations among the characters are real and vivid. The truths divulged between Macy and Wes are so detailed you can imagine them being true to you.

After the death of her father, Macy's close family is only her mom and sister, Caroline. Macy's mom concentrates mainly on her work and trusts Macy to stay within the carefully outlined life they have created for each other. When Macy quits her job at the library, her mom narrows her life even more, making her work alongside her almost every day of the week.

Other Wish caterers include Kristy, Monica, Bert and Wes. Kristy and Monica are sisters who live with their grandmother in a trailer.

Kristy, a powerful and assertive character, was in a horrible car accident when she was young and has scars as†a†reminder†of†it. Like Macy's dad dying, the scars don't really matter to her friends: it’s just another insignificant imperfection.

Monica is a shy, clumsy yet emotional girl who rarely says more than two words, but when she does, you know they are the truth.

Bert, Wes's smaller brother, is the most melodramatic character. He is an avid believer that the end of the world is imminent and tries to convert any non-believer he comes across.

Although most of the Wish staff are sporadic and unorganized, Wes is the most dependable, sturdy character in "The Truth About Forever." He alone helps and pushes the most important change in Macy: that being perfect isn't possible and isn't good. He considers imperfections interesting.
Dessen believes this to be the most complex book she's ever written according to her website (www.sarahdessen.com). Reading this book proves Dessen was correct. The characters are intricately created and complement each other by being so diverse.

A quote from the book emphasizes the fact that you have to live in “forever,” occurring this very second. You cannot live in the past because if you do, it is not living.

“Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about. It was twenty minutes, or a hundred years, or just this instant, or any instant I wished would last and last. But there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening,” Macy narrated.

Other books by Dessen include “That Summer,” “Someone Like You,” “Keeping the Moon,” “Dreamland,” and “This Lullaby.”