Young Adult Literature without Apology

Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.

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Walde, Christine (2006). The Candy Darlings. Boston: Graphia (Houghton Mifflin). ISBN: 0618589694.

Following the death of her mother, Christine Walde’s unnamed narrator of The Candy Darlings moves to a new town where, just as she is easing into her school’s most powerful clique, she meets a disturbingly fascinating classmate, Megan. Megan’s arrival and eventual befriending of the narrator does not endear her to the popular girls, who criticize Megan’s eccentric dress, smart mouth and preoccupation with candy. Through a campaign involving coded notes, offers of sweets, and storytelling, Megan gradually becomes a greater part of the narrator’s life and the two find refuge within the narrow world of their friendship. The stories Megan tells are disquieting tales of sexual abuse, betrayal and, of course, candy; when Megan periodically disappears for days at a time, it becomes more difficult to determine where the boundary between truth and fiction lies. A secondary plot involving the escalation of the bullying tactics used by the popular girls to torment Megan and the narrator is intriguing, but at times seems a bit over the top. Though I enjoyed reading this book, I (like the narrator) was more intrigued by the mysterious Megan than in any growth that might be realized in the first person narrative.
Like Adele Griffin’s Amandine this novel concerns itself primarily with the mysteries and intimacies of female friendship. Where in Griffin’s novel the pathology of the charismatic friend is revealed in a dramatic fashion, in The Candy Darlings, the resolution is not as certain. When Megan eventually disappears, we are unsure of the truth of her past as well as her future; the novel’s resolution is reminiscent of Galloway’s As Simple As Snow. Walde’s first novel is lengthy but not dense; the highlights of the narrative are found in Megan’s stories which, following the conclusion of the book, are compelling re-reads.