This teenage girl’s diary tackles themes like sex, drugs and religion.I decided this morning that what happened between me and Sean was some kind of freak thing like an unexpected comet streaking the sky when you go outside to take out the garbage—it would probably never happen again. And, you certainly couldn’t expect it to the next time you took out the garbage. So, I was planning to act like nothing happened yesterday, if I ran into Sean again.
Okay girls, raise your hand if you kept a diary in high school! I know I did, for years actually, but mercifully, those stacks of journals seem to have disappeared. That’s a good thing, because even the thought of re-reading those theatric rantings about cute boys, unsympathetic parents and the general unfairness of the world makes me cringe.
So why would anyone want to read a teenage girl’s diary like Roswell’s Journal? The truth is, drama that’s not connected to your own past is kind of addicting, especially when it’s as well written as this book. Maui resident Ayesha Sandra Lee has captured the angst of 15-year-old Rosalind “Roswell” Matthews as she tries to adjust to life on Maui. She’s a good kid with a good head on her shoulders, but she’s angry at her dad who left after her parents’ divorce and “made us poor and desperate”; and she’s annoyed with her well-meaning realtor mom.
She starts writing a journal when forced to for class credit by her teacher Miss Sylvester, and soon finds the exercise a welcome release for her emotions during the semester’s turbulent events.
All the characters of any good teen novel are there: Jade, the best friend; Sean, the dream boy; and Michael, the “nice” boy. But each has a twist that makes them more interesting: Jade is pregnant and has an abusive father; Sean is tempting, but tough to figure out; and Michael is a zealous Christian.
It’s through Michael that the book’s underlying Christian theme comes through. It’s woven well enough into the plot and the dialogue that it doesn’t overwhelm the story—but it is there, a reflection of Lee’s own dedication to her faith. Lee has a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling with a specialty in theophostic counseling, and sings and acts in “Un 2 One” ministry at King’s Cathedral in Kahului.
As the friendship between Michael and Roswell grows, Roswell begins working at his parents’ used furniture store and at her mom’s real estate office in order to make some extra cash (“So, looks like youth is over for me.”). The work experience, combined with the sobering reality of Jade’s situation, combine to bring about a more mature and thoughtful Roswell. Slowly, we move from things like: “So, because I don’t have a car, I have to wait here by myself. At least I borrowed a cool dress from Jade,” to more thoughtful expressions like: “My mom said I could have spent some of my money for some holiday clothes and I said I would be better off investing it.”
The teen dilemmas of saying “no” to sex and drugs could really take place anywhere on the Mainland, but the idea that it’s on Maui makes the book more relevant. We can picture Roswell dreaming about buying “that beautiful old house in Kula”; playing basketball against “those beach girls from Lahaina”; and going to a party in “the lost jungles of Huelo.”
The dramatic twists at the end are a little less believable, but it’s still a good story. You’ll find yourself reading Roswell’s Journal straight through to the last page, whether you really want to peek into someone else’s diary or not!
4 out of 5 Shakas
Roswell’sJournal
By Ayesha Sandra Lee
Seraphina Press, Inc., 2008
paperback, $13.95
ISBN: 978-0979824623