[.ca] Girl Walking Backwards: A Novel (ISBN 0312194560)

From Amazon.com:
Although the protagonist of Girl Walking Backwards is a young, more-or-less "out" lesbian, this not a lesbian novel so much as a classic, post-Catcher in the Rye roman à clef, closely observed and skillfully written. Skye has even fewer illusions than Holden Caulfield, but she manages to be cynical without being world-weary. She signs up for volleyball at her new high school only because the girls on the team are beautiful, then shrinks from making the first move toward them: "Making friends is such a formal thing," she reflects. "It would have been so convenient if we all drank. Puking is great bonding, holding your friend's head over the toilet seat is kind of an intimate act. Puking friends come and go, though, at least that was my experience in junior high." When she catches sight of the doomed, black-clad Jessica, Skye thinks she has found a soulmate, but Jessica turns out to be a murky reflection of Skye's mother--unhappy and unstable, feeling cheated by life. To what extent Skye will be pulled down into others' trouble is the issue beneath the more pressing questions of whom she will love, and who will love her. A first novel of unusual distinction. --Regina Marler

somewhere between volleyballs and candelabras:
Smart, witty, true-to-life (in the southern California sense, at least) tale of a girl dealing with life as she finishes high school. More than a few interesting items on her plate--a mentally unstable mother, an emotionally unavailable father, new friendships, and her own struggles to find and understand love with the girls she is drawn to. I like that this isn't your overt 'gay' novel, as it stands on its own as a very believable account of what any young adult could experience in today's hormonal adolescence. A bit self-absorbed, but weren't we all?

oh too familiar but oh to unfamiliar:
this story is, wierd i guess is the only way to put it but i couldnt put it down. sky is your typical girl coming of age. she seems to be watching the world and trying to find her place in it. the book is full of colorful characters. Jessica, the mentally gone goth girl sky is in love with. Jessica cant help but do sky wrong. it doesnt seem as though she wants to and its apparent that she really cares about sky but it seems almost like a drugged instinct. Mol is the friend you love because she is the most devoted and lovable creature in the book. She knows sky better than sky knows herself. Its funy because Mol is almost ignored in skys mind. Sky doesnt seem to apreciate her and sky can get a bit arrogant with her. Sky thinks too much. I connected with her alot. Skys mom is this new age hyppy psycho, who basically has messed skys mind all up. Ryley is skys boyfriend. He is your oh too typical guy. He thinks with his *cencored*. Then theres Lorri, the athlete, the exotic dreamgirl sky will always love. She is hard to read though for sky. Sky has no self esteem when it comes to Lorri. She doesnt think shes good enough. This book is all built into characters in your mind. Everyone will connect perfectly with atleast one character. You spend the whole book going "ive been there"... its about life and about love...

Satisfying in every way!:
This book is goooooooood!! If you are having any doubts on the quality or the price, or whatever... put them aside! You must buy this book. I have not been that engrossed in a book in a long time. At first glance or to read about it, you might think that this book is for young adults or teens. The actual content of the book goes way beyond any young adult category. This is a book that is suitable for teens, but yet is packed with maturity and content for adults. I am 22 and I enjoyed every last word. You will not regret this book!

Gorgeous:
What is there to say? This book is so very real. A nice book to curl up in bed with.

Damn good book!:
The best writing seems like it was almost effortless... that's certainly the case here. The book reads so smoothly and so quickly, it feels as though it was written in one night. Skye, a fifteen year-old girl who's dealing with a ton of stuff all at once, is a great character. She's tough enough to earn our admiration, but human enough to make you wince every time something bad happens to her. Through her, the book deals with issues of self-mutilation, discovering one's own sexuality, New Age cultism, drugs, friendship, sex, and all the usual highlights of being 15. This is no After School Special, though, and the book does not preach to the reader or try to force all-encompassing conclusions upon complex issues. The author is confident enough (and wise enough) to let the reader reach his/her own conclusions. She also avoids the "easy epiphany" pitfall. This book has no easy answers. More than anything, though, this is a fun book. That's largely because Skye, though fallible, is such a likable character. I would recommend this book especially for anyone in junior high school or high school, although it's perfectly suitable for adults as well. Writers like Judy Bloom, though wonderful in their own way, fail to address truly contemporary themes for teenagers. This book fills that void. Final comment: I very much appreciated that the whole homosexual/heterosexual thing was addressed so realistically. There may be some people for whom it's a simple yes/no dichotomy, but most people I knew back in high school weren't nearly so one-way-or-the-other. It's nice to read a book about a lesbian who doesn't think of herself as "a lesbian" but rather as herself. She's Skye. Who she sleeps with (or wants to sleep with) is only one small part of who she is. Really, really good stuff.