EVERYTHING IS FINE

Carrington MacDuffie makes us believe in the resilience and toughness of Mazzy as we see her fend off the social worker who is investigating reports about her home. MacDuffie also shows us Mazzy's tender, anxious side as the teenager worries about running a home in which her mother spends the day in bed in a fetal position while her father's off finding fame as a sportscaster. In MacDuffie's snappy comebacks we enjoy Mazzy's vibrancy; in her bouts of enthusiasm we see the child Mazzy once was. Bit by bit, the author reveals the cause of the mother's horrible depression and what has caused the family to fall apart. MacDuffie's lyrical delivery allows listeners to hear the book's free verse format. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2009]