cover image PICTURES IN THE DARK

PICTURES IN THE DARK

Patricia McCord, . . Bloomsbury, $16.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-1-58234-848-3

A cross between Mommie Dearest and Flowers in the Attic , this psychologically taut novel encapsulates the isolation and fear experienced by sisters who suffer verbal and physical abuse from their mother. Growing up in the '50s, seventh-grader Sarah and her older sister Carlie are careful to put on a "perfect family" front, not letting anyone, not even their frequently absent father, know what goes on at home when they are alone with their mother. Nobody would guess that the girls must stay in their attic bedroom with the lights turned off or how frequently they spend anxious hours anticipating the ominous sound of their mother's footsteps on the stairs, a sure sign that one of them will get beaten. McCord (previously writing as Pat Rhoads Mauser, author of How I Found Myself at the Fair ) poignantly conveys the girls' wistful longing to be part of a normal family and their own strong bond as they play a game, drawing pictures in the dark. Readers will be reluctant to put down the book for even a second as long as the girls remain in danger, especially after Carlie runs away and Sarah anxiously awaits her return, wrestling with the notion that she should tell authorities the truth about her mother. The grimly realistic tone carries through to the conclusion, where signs of hope come not from the mother's willingness to undergo therapy but rather from the girls' new resolution to speak out. Ages 10-up. (May)