Reviews: (by author)

Jocelyn, Marthe. How It Happened in Peach Hill. New York: WendyLamb, 2007. ISBN 978-0-375-83701-2. U.S. $15.99. Grades 9-12. www.randomhouse.com/teens

There comes a point in everyone’s life when we have to figure out what we want for ourselves. That’s the point Annie Grey is at when we meet her in How It Happened in Peach Hill. In small town, U.S.A. during the 1920s, fifteen-year-old Annie is an assistant to her con-artist-fake-psychic mother. She has always followed her mother’s lead. But when they take residence in Peach Hill that begins to change.

The first thing Annie’s mother does is set up her con as Madame Caterina, clairvoyant extraordinaire. In order to pick up information about the townspeople as they chat and gossip, Annie pretends to be, well…“loony” and “a moron” are two terms she uses, although mentally disabled or retarded might be more accurate descriptions. Annie makes an excellent snoop, and because of her, her mother’s business as Madame Caterina flourishes.

But soon Annie becomes dissatisfied with her life. Pretending to be retarded to keep up the con means not having any friends, being taunted by the local kids and being pitied by the townspeople; she can’t be herself around anyone, except her mother. One day, frustrated and tired of playing the stifling role, Annie impulsively pulls a con of her own: she pretends to have been miraculously “cured” by her mother.

Now that Annie is “cured,” she’s expected to do the things “normal” kids do, like go to school, and the truant officer, Mrs. Newman, makes sure of that. Annie doesn’t complain. Going to school provides an escape from her mother’s dramatics, and she blossoms with the opportunity to learn and be social. However, as Annie becomes more her own person, she becomes harder for her mother to control and more reluctant to go along with her mother’s plans. Consequently, a power struggle ensues.

Annie realizes that she wants more than a con-artist’s life can give her, like friends, an education and stability. But does she have the courage to break away from her mother and be honest with the townspeople?

Marthe Jocelyn’s novel is a funny and moving comedy-drama. Her characters are well-developed, and her prose flows smoothly. Annie’s first person narrative is totally engaging. Here’s a snippet from Annie’s first day at school after her “healing”:

I was placed in the first grade.

My mother had taught me to read when I was three, so even back then I was bored to weeping with the Elson Reader. I was learning to juggle, and I knew the trick to lying on a bed of nails. I’d tried the trapeze and watched a man eat fire every night. First grade didn’t hold much allure.

“This is Annie, boys and girls. She will be joining us in room 102. Please make her feel welcome.”

Everyone clapped politely. Miss Caruthers pointed to an empty miniature desk and I felt like a rhinoceros blundering my way to the back row. (56)

Jocelyn has created a spunky, smart, likeable, and admirable protagonist in Annie and a sweet and powerful coming-of-age story.

Marie Soriano, June 2007

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