Monday, 27 April 2009

Shrinking Violet / Danielle Joseph

Summary - High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out -- doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T -- and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize -- Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare....

Review - How many of us have read books about shy girls who are about as shy as a Pussycat Doll? Wow look at that sea of hands. In the case of Tere, she really is a shy girl, so much so that her teachers and classmates don't expect her to speak at all. At one point someone even assumes she's deaf and dumb. Numbed and closeted by her mother's need to show her love through an onslaught of criticism, Tere avoids life...with an exception to her friend, Audrey, and her pretend hosting gigs on SLAM.

I had high expectations from this novel and I think in many points it achieved them. The characters are well established but the storyline was fairly predictable. I could see the end a mile off but really enjoyed that some elements, like that of Tere's relationship with her mother weren't tied up with a shiny red bow. Gavin is a different sort of romantic lead - friendly, affable and a little ambiguous (for awhile anyway). He's definitely not the typical "guy" and I liked him for that, I would have liked to know a little bit more about him though. Other characters like the charming Jason, the sexist Derek and the insightful Pop-Tart were all fantastic individuals that facilitated the protagonist's growth without being heavy handed.

Some people might question why Tere, who suffers chronic shyness in answering questions in class (she compares it to having a mouthful of peanut butter) would be interested in hosting a radio program. If you think about it, it makes complete sense. Radio is a largely anonymous format where the music and your voice are your way of reaching out to people. Tere's passion for new music and her need to share it allow this plot development to flow somewhat naturally. Unfortunately I just don't see how a high school girl, even with a step-father who owns a radio station, would end up hosting her own show. The circumstances allow the chips to fall in Tere's favour but you need to make the leap with her. What I really enjoyed about this story was that Tere's success as Sweet T did improve her ability to relate to others but it was the support of a few select people that had a larger role in this growth. She slowly transcends out of crippling shyness at a realistic pace, though the finale circumstances did diminish this evolution to a degree.

As a podcaster, I can attest to that great rush you feel when someone likes you for your voice and opinions. It's very similar to getting great feedback on a special post in your blog. Recognition and approval is something we all strive for in life. Tere may have found an avenue to get it from society but her mother's is a tougher fish to fry. I found their interactions to be the most compelling element of the story, it struck very close to home for me. Though the consistent use of light humour allowed the book to not become bogged down by heavier subject matter.

I really enjoyed Danielle Joseph's take on shyness, difficult mothers, body image, group assignments and feeling confident. Shrinking Violet is sure to entertain and promote some thought about how you choose to relate with others. Thumbs up.

Published: May 5, 2009
Format: Paperback,
Publisher: Simon & Schuster USA
Origin: USA
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Danielle Joseph's Official Website - definitely worth checking out
Danielle Joseph's Blog
Shrinking Violet Playlist

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Competition:
You have two days from the moment of this post to win my copy of Shrinking Violet. To enter share one of your shy moments (the funnier, the better) in the comments section along with your email address.

This is open to all corners of the globe and my decision will be final (I've always wanted to say that). Entertain me, people!

9 comments:

Summer said...

Hmmm I don't really have a major shy moment because that means I embarrassed myself and I block all of those memories from my mind but excellent review!

Elizabeth said...

I'd tell you a joke, but I'm too shy.

Jen said...

Sounds cute ^_^ I like your point about her actually being shy

Tina said...

I'm very shy around people I don't know. I clam up! Once you get to know me, I'm the complete opposite.
Sorry,I have no funny shy moments to share.

Natalie Hatch said...

Grade Nine, a boy asked me out, I ran into the toilets and hid for the entire lunch break (skipping eating my food) until he'd gone into class. Found out later he'd asked another girl after me and she said yes. Oh well.

Thao said...

I can't wait to read this. Your review makes me love Shrinking Violet more and more.

Anonymous said...

My shyest moment was way back in middle school... in the days of 90's pop galore, when the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys were IT! I was normal enough, and social, and generally the girl everyone liked to hang out with. And, like every other pre-teen girl of the world, I had an unhealthy obsession with the one and only Nick Carter of the BSB. Pretty straightforward, right?

It all happened one fine winter day, on a day trip down to London (we lived up in Northeast England at the time), my sister and I were walking around aimlessly. I'm going to point this out here before I go on - my sister was less normal than I was. She was a complete nerd, shy as all come, and mortified at the slightest happening.

So we're walking around, and then for some reason, we popped into a small coffee shop/tea shop or something to grab ourselves some hot cocoa. And there's a cute guy sitting right by the counter with a rather large, important-looking posse.

Yes. It was Nick Carter. Who noticed us gaping at him and smiled. And one of the people in the posse nicely asked us if we wanted an autograph (probably so we wouldn't create a scene and attract too much attention).

Now if you've been paying attention above, you'd think you know exactly how the two of us reacted to this huge development, right? WRONG! Because what happened next was that, instead of smiling shyly and asking for my autograph (which I had earned with my years and years of devotion to this man) I went completely pale, began hyperventilating, and shivering, and as soon as I came into my senses I ran out of the store, leaving my baby sister behind in my complete state of freaked-out-ness.

I must've run about 2 blocks before I realized I forgot my sister behind and hesitantly ran back, hoping beyond hope that I hadn't lost her (and that Nick hadn't left yet - what was I? Crazy?)

When I got there, I saw that Nick had left, and my sister was standing calmly outside the shop, smiling with a small blush on her face.

And in her hands was a napkin, signed by the love of my life, with her name on it. Doh!!! She gives me a real hard time about that day even now.

Elizabeth said...

That is an AWESOME story, dissectingperfection.

...Well, I mean... not for you.

Lena said...

Ugh, shyness. I'm much better now, but I've had a lot of awkward moments of shyness when I was a teen. When I was sixteen, I got a job at a burger joint where all of the other employees seemed to be really hot guys. Most of my time was spent blushing and hiding in the walk in freezer. I was so afraid of saying something stupid that I never spoke (or looked at anyone) at all!