It's My Life

Mum walks out and sixteen-year-old Jan is expected to look after Dad and Kevin. School and Peter Carey (who isn't used to having to ask twice), exams, the woman next door, Gran, the supermarket lady, friends, teachers - all take on a new perspective. A lot of novels for adolescents are about sexual pressures and problems but Bob Leeson is more concerned with the social pressure on girls and women. (He doesn't actually duck the sexual issue but he's not going to confront it - this is no Forever.) In Jan he has created a complex and believable female. Her do-it-yourself consciousness-raising is described with perception and humour. This could provoke a lot of discussion.