Out of the Shadows [Paperback]

Sue Hines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2000

Ro thinks her family is totally unlike anyone else's. Jodie is afraid of herself. So they spend a long time stepping carefully around the truth, hiding secrets that they know are too terrible to reveal.

These shadows from the past just won't go away, and in a hostile society Ro and Jodie end up with only each other -- and that grab bag of feelings that make up a friendship: love, hate, guilt -- and forgiveness.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Set at a high school in contemporary Australia, this young adult novel is a love triangle with several twists. Nearly 16 years old, Rowanna is a nice kid with a tough (and secret) background. When we meet her, she's still coming to terms with several facts: that her mother was gay, that her mother was killed by a drunk driver, and that she now lives with her mother's partner--a woman it's taken her years to stop hating. At school she's best buddies with Mark, the school hunk (whose secret is that he gets beaten up by his father). Mark falls for the new kid, gorgeous Jodie, who could have any guy in the school. Jodie seems to like Mark well enough; but her secret is... well, she has fallen in love with Rowanna. Throw in Jodie's adorable brother, plus the razor-nailed Selina, and you have the elements of a truly Shakespearean plot. Although author Sue Hines writes in alternating sections from alternating points of view, her own voice comes through too strongly, especially at the preachy "everyone's just fine the way they are" ending. Nonetheless, this is a well-constructed, engaging story and a good book to put into the hands of any teen confused about love, life, and sexual orientation (their own or anyone else's). --Richard Farr

Review

"For a first novelist, Hines shows an unusual level of assurance and sensitivity for all her characters, male and female. This is one of the strengths of the book." -- Canberra Times

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (January 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380811928
• ISBN-13: 978-0380811922
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A coming of age story told with true sensitivity and style, January 9, 2000

By 

Rob Jackson (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Shadows (Paperback)

*Out of the Shadows* by Sue Hines

This is a wonderfully well-told story of teenage sexuality and psychology which I highly recommend to parents and teachers of young adolescents. The plain language and narrative style are a godsend for less capable readers particularly, and the narrative agents, Ro and Jodie, are sympathetic and complex personalities, 'rounded' characters in the best possible sense. The thematic emphases on anti-homophobia rather than pro-homosexuality, and tolerance of differences rather than their glorification, are a welcome relief, and the novel fills a real gap in the market. Teenagers will certainly be able to relate to the central characters and the schoolyard dynamic depicted. The novel avoids simple stereotyping in an adept and engaging manner. The minor themes of friendship, managing grief, and bullying are also very well-handled.

Cultural contexts are clearly identified and explicated, and all readers will be able to empathise with the primary settings of the novel: the family, school, and the peer group. What I particularly like is the way the text deals with a range of relationships and situations in each of these areas, without privileging one or another. This is not a novel which preaches to the reader, rather, it is a coming of age story which will enrich and enhance the experiences teenagers themselves face as they too come of age. Along with the serious issues highlighted there is a vein of humour which runs through the narrative, and Ro's entries in particular are engagingly self-conscious and ironic.

As a teacher of young migrant and refugee students the first thing which appealed to me was the actual physical spacing of the text (which I hope is retained for the American edition). For N.E.S.B. readers such as ours any text consisting of pages and pages of closely-typed script is a daunting prospect, a deterrent to reading in fact. With *Out of the Shadows* many of our beginning English readers have been encouraged to take on the demands of a 'full-length' novel for the first time. Along with this, the stylistic clarity of the narrative makes it accessible to a variety of student ability levels, and it has been a useful text across a wide range of subject and age groups also. The dual perspectives are sustained effectively throughout the novel and afford an excellent entry point for literary analysis. This narrative scheme also lends itself to partial readings, making it a good resource for lower ability readers at all levels as well. Though emphatically not a didactic or moralising book, it does not shy away from the deeper ramifications of its themes, and is an excellent stimulus for classroom discussion on the issues of adolescent sexuality and psychology, and prevailing social attitudes and taboos. Teachers reluctant to set texts such as *Johnno* or *A Hard God* for their classes will feel much more comfortable teaching to *Out of the Shadows*.

I cannot speak highly enough of this novel. Sue Hines demonstrates a mastery of understatement and allows her characters and their relationships to speak for themselves. There is a freshness and sincerity about this book which I find particularly appealing, and the story is told with vigour and charm in equal portions. I look forward to future instalments from this talented young writer.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Parents, Families, and Friends, July 29, 2000

By 

"librarianofthefuture" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Shadows (Paperback)

I am an American mother who dealt with her daughter's coming out in the media when we sued her school district in a civil rights action to allow a gay-straight alliance at her high school. This book touches on the various forms of isolation homosexual teens and adults and their supporters feel. It is not preachy, it is simply a piece of some lives presented in a very real form. It points out the issues and the feelings that everyone involved has, including the doubts of a daughter of a lesbian. It doesn't dwell on the issue, it isn't even revealed to the parties until well into the novel. Instead it talks about the difficulty of hiding major secrets and the pain that causes everyone. This is a good book not just for those who are directly touched by homosexuality, but anyone who tries to keep a secret that's too big. It points out the relief of sharing secrets. It also helps teens understand and perhaps develop compassion for a segment of society condemned for who they love. I recommend it for all young adults, and adults as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of the Shadows Review, April 26, 2000

By 

Ryan Sebrechts (Stevensville, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Shadows (Paperback)

This book deals with two young girls and a ex-lover of one of the young girl's mother. One of the girl tries to find her true sexuality while the other girl tries to express her feeling for her mother's ex-lover, who now keeps care of her after the mother's fatal death. This book is awesomely written by Sue Hines. She takes you straight to where the homosexual first thoughts begin as a teenager. She shows great detail on how society, family and friends feel towards the unpopular way of life. Sue knows how to write about this subject without making any bad remarks or saying anything that would be upsetting to the homosexual community. It is a great book with realistic events. You never know what is going to happen next.