Darkness Before Dawn
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He's a "lemon drop wrapped in licorice": tall, dark, handsome, and as smooth as his silk shirts and leather jacket. He can discuss everything from art to world events, he's traveled the world, and he owns a Jeep, a condo, and a jazz CD collection. But best of all, twenty-three-year-old Jonathan Hathaway, the new track coach and the principal's son, has his golden eyes set on Keisha Montgomery. In her senior year of high school, still recovering from the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Keisha's thrilled to have someone treat her like a woman rather than a girl. As Jonathan tells her, she's a butterfly ready to try her wings — much too mature for high school boys, whose only deep thoughts are words from rap songs. Jonathan makes her feel alive again; he seems like the answer to all her dreams and the cure to all her nightmares. Gifts wrapped with silver ribbons begin to mysteriously appear on her doorstep, and Keisha is swept off her feet. But events take a terrifying turn, and suddenly darkness overwhelms her life.... As Keisha struggles to put her world back in perspective, she learns the power and the danger of silence, and discovers the secret gifts that had been waiting for her all along.VOYAThe author does not falsely portray teenage life as entirely blissful. Instead, the book captures both the hardships and the joys of teenage life. The charming characters live in a realistic world full of pain, stress, and joy, wonderfully accented with romance. This modern book reads easily, so presumably the story will appeal to teenagers. The thought-provoking story provides life lessons for teens and adults alike. VOYA CODES: 2Q 2P J S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Atheneum/S & S, 240p, $16. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Annabel van Holsbeeck, Teen Reviewer SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)
