Talk to Me

Dines (Best Friends Tell Lies) astutely surveys a wide range of unconventional lifestyles and conflicts in this markedly contemporary volume about teens making choices in the '90s. Offsetting dramatic tension with just enough comic relief, the seven entries portray young adults struggling with matters of conscience, questioning their parents' values and rebelling against or conforming to the mold. Some characters feel stifled by too much unsolicited advice: Lise has to contend with three ""mothers"" (her own plus two steps) who want to straighten out her ""messed-up"" view of love, sex and marriage; Holly is caught between two competing parents trying to run her life. Other adolescents, overwhelmed by seemingly limitless options, crave a nudge in the right direction. Jess, for example, is at wit's end trying to decide whether to stay with his mother and devoted stepfather or move to his free-spirited father's loft. The only weak link here may be the novella, which brings a slightly heavy hand to the topics of peer pressure and sexual harassment. Using a cast of well-defined, sympathetic characters caught in engrossing situations, Dines presents a thought-provoking commentary on this decade, delineating in quietly poetic prose the ups and downs of expanded opportunity and free choice. Ages 12-up. (June)