From Publishers Weekly
No one knows when the whispers will start?not Nicole, who is 25, beautiful and schizophrenic; not Aunt Shirley, whose calm patience is a way of saying "Live with it"; and especially not Sophy, who is unable to prevent her sister's sudden descents and who is painfully aware that she is now the same age?14?that Nikki was when the voices began. Filtering the story through Sophy's perspective, Johnson (Toning the Sweep; Shoes Like Miss Alice's, reviewed above) offers a delicate yet unflinching look at the shadows that spread over families of schizophrenics, investing even the most quotidian acts with added meaning and fears. Hers is also a story of subtle but real hope, in the form of strong, abiding human connections (Nikki's friend Reuben is so steadfast that her doctors talk to him in complete frankness; "I don't think he's ever going to give up," Sophy says), flashes of beauty (Sophy's dancing, Nikki's elegant thrift-shop finds), and moments of understanding and acceptance, as when Sophy, with Nicole's help, pulls the threads of memory that reveal the source of her own longstanding fears. A luminous work. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up?In a first-person narrative, 14-year-old Sophy reveals the impact of her 24-year-old sister Nicole's schizophrenia on the lives of those who love her and Nicole's own pain whenever "the whispers" return. During some of these times, the young woman simply disappears?once for three months and most recently for six and a half days. Other times she is hospitalized. Sophy feels powerless to help her. Aunt Shirley, who has raised the girls since their parents died in a car crash, accepts that it is always going to be the way it is and that everyone can only do so much. What her aunt doesn't understand is Sophy's unspoken fear that she will end up like her sister. Unexpectedly, it is Nicole who helps Sophy face her fear and move on towards a promising future. The talented teen also receives support from her elderly neighbor, Miss Onyx, who encourages her to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. Each of Johnson's characters shows the frailty and strength of the human spirit. There are no easy answers for Sophy and her family. Questions about some of the events and images that the characters evoke and struggle with will remain with readers long after they finish this slim book. Because of the complexity of the story line and the author's stream of consciousness style, however, this novel may have a limited audience.?Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
