FRICTION

As though she were 12-year-old Alex herself, narrator Jessalyn Gilsig sounds just like a teenager telling a trusted friend exactly what happened. Gilsig's first-person narration takes on the nuances of all Frank's characters as seen through Alex in this powerful coming-of-age novel. Gilsig adroitly conveys Alex's uncertainty and pain as she becomes more and more confused about her feelings for her beloved teacher, Simon, and about the "new girl" who looks at her classmates with different and alarming eyes. FRICTION is a novel seemingly created for the spoken word, a perfect medium for teenaged confidences about life's biggest questions and cruelest realities. E.R. Frank knows teens, and Jessalyn Gilsig knows exactly how they should sound. This is a winning combination for any audience. D.P.M. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]