Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
reviewed by Ashley Bouchakian
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr is a coming of age journey that captures the hearts of many. Story of a Girl is a novel of a teenager’s point of view during a very difficult time. The story takes place in Pacifica, California. The book starts off with then a thirteen year old, Deanna Lambert and seventeen year old Tommy Webber are caught having sex in the back of Tommy’s Buick. Tommy Webber is supposedly Deanna’s brother’s best friend. Deanna and Tommy were not caught by a friend or a teacher, but by Deanna’s father. Three years go by and Deanna’s father has never looked or talked to her the same.
The entire town knows about what happened between Deanna and Tommy and this is partly his fault because he has spread nasty rumors about her. Deanna’s affair with Tommy Webber is something that everyone at Terra Nova High School seems to gossip about and ends up leaving Deanna feeling more insecure than she has ever felt. She has been labeled by her school as a slut. Her father remains giving her a cold shoulder and never shows affection and love towards her. Deanna has her father, her mother, one brother, Darren, his girlfriend, Stacy, and their unplanned daughter, April. Deanna only has two real friends, Lee and Jason. Deanna introduced Lee to Jason and throughout the novel Deanna grows more and more envious of Lee and the love that they share.
Darren, Stacy, and April are living in the basement and are desperate to move out as soon as possible. Deanna dreams and fantasizes of leaving the house with them and having a happy family out of her parents home. She is determined to start the summer with a new job, to relax, and to start over. After several job applications, she finally gets a job at Picasso’s Pizza, but is shocked when she sees Tommy Webber working at the pizza shop.
Moreover, many readers jump to the conclusion that Deanna is a bad person and dislike the fact that a thirteen year old had sex with a seventeen year old boy, but do not see that all she really wanted was to feel wanted and cared for, even if her own family could not provide her with that love. Now at sixteen years old, Deanna is still feeling bad about herself and is trying to discover who she really is.
Throughout this book, readers see that the novel really is a story of a girl. This story shows the struggles and the hardships that follow Deanna until the bitter end. Everyone should experience this gut-wrenching novel, as it shows how Deanna handles relatable situations that many young teenage girls go through today and the life struggles that everyone undergoes, especially Deanna.
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