[.ca] An Egg On Three Sticks: A Novel (ISBN 0312317751)

tormented teen confronts depressed mother's mental illness:
Meet Abby Goodman. She lives in a comfortable suburban San Jose, California, home in the early 1970s with her staid, predictable father, her precociously bright younger sister and her mother, Shirley. It is Shirley's descent into suicidal mental illness that sets Abby's internal compass spinning out of control in Jackie Moyer Fischer's redemptive debut novel, "An Egg on Three Sticks." Abby is absolutely believable; she is at once self-absorbed and powerfully affected by her mother's erratic, self-destructive behaviors. Abby comes-of-age during a time of extreme family disintegration, and lacking the anchor of a stable mother, her otherwise understandable thirteen-year-old behaviors take on a distorted, desperate cast. In truth, Abby becomes unmoored by her mother's attempted suicide, and her responses, which range from anger to guilt to indifference, reflect themselves in the author's commitment to write from Abby's voice. This voice reflects a growing sexual awakening, a consciousness of self and a constantly reforming opinion of the very meaning of motherhood. This skewed sensibility influences every decision Abby makes, every action she selects voice her hurt, confusion and outrage. She knows her home is different from all the others in her neighborhood, not only in its exterior, but its internal workings as well. To Abby, her home is "stuffed with cotton, stuffed with daughters who aren't daughters anymore, sisters who aren't sisters." Even worse is her understanding that her father is experiencing an even greater loss. This gentle high-school typing teacher whose idea of a good time is spending time burning trash in his backyard incinerator transforms himself into a sad, preoccupied and furrow-faced man. He is a "dad who isn't a dad, a husband who isn't a husband." By all external evidence, Shirley has fallen apart. She goes swimming naked at midnight in a neighbor's pool; she disintegrates at the misplacement of a special dress. In a pique, she hurls Abby's galoshes into the fireplace and throws a Christmas-present crock pot against the wall. Against this backdrop, Abby seeks solace from her oh-so-cool friend Poppy, whose divorced mother's lifestyle seems alluring and rebellious to the bereft Abby. Abby engages in here own private acts of rebellion as well. She disobeys the numerous restrictive rules placed on her by her parents; she shoplifts, and she involves herself with a Mexican boyfriend. None of these acts restores Shirley, but all of them help Abby discover her inner self. Unfortunately, "An Egg on Three Sticks" is not without its flaws. The novel must have set a new record for number of one-sentence paragraphs. And fragments too. Abby's voice veers dangerously toward terminal insipidness. Why, for instance, does Fischer insist on using invented terms like "dorkamundo?" Which everyone knows is not how 70s teens would ever talk anyway. Which is kinda beside the point, anyway. These irritants, however, do not interfere with Abby's journey. Jackie Moyer has written a book of rare integrity and authentic compassion. "An Egg on Three Sticks" not only instructs us on the pain of mental illness, it educates us as to how a broken heart can mend itself.

impressive debut:
Fischer's remarkable novel had me from page one. I couldn't stop reading it. Abby's voice is still in my head - I won't forget her for a long, long time.

Wonderfully Written:
Wow--I finished this book in record time! The writing style is original and imaginitive, and I lost myself in the fast-paced story. I feel as if I spent a year inside Abby's head. I laughed, cried and was moved to share sentences like "...washing his hands in the bathroom with integrity." Can't wait for the next book!

The perfect book for a summer night:
I couldn't sleep so I decided to just take a peek at the first few pages of this book, hoping that would tire me out. Instead, I finished the last page as the sun came up. My 15-year-old daughter grabbed it as soon as she woke up and did not put it down until she had finished. We agreed that Abby's voice was perfect, the story was heart-wrenching, and the writing was excellent. We're looking forward to the author's next book!

So good I'll be reading it again!!:
This quippy novel submerges one into the past with such fabulous dialogue, it will make you speak it again...or if you missed the 70's, you'll begin speaking these slogans with ease. Reading the book, An Egg onThree Sticks, is like breathing air. Refreshing and fun. Read it while you're in any mood, its 'voice' will resonate through every reader's memory of their childhood home and make you want to go there.