The Best and Hardest Thing

The Best and Hardest Thing. Pat Brisson. 2010. May 2010. Penguin. 240 pages.

Molly Biden: An Introduction

She was a Golden Rule kind of girl--
doing-unto-others-as-she-would-have-them-
et-cetera.
If you'd asked her why she was so good,
she'd have been surprised:
doesn't everyone try to be that way?
Well...no.

The Best and Hardest Thing is a verse novel. After an English assignment wounds her esteem, Molly decides the time to act is now. She's tired of being the good girl, the nice girl, the pleasant girl, the quiet and saintly girl. What she needs is a new look, a new attitude. And if this new attitude gets her noticed by the new bad boy, who's just a few years older, well, all the better. And if the promise of sex is what it takes to get his attention, well, so be it.

Bad Boys

What is it about some guys?
They give off sparks as they walk by.

It doesn't matter if they're short or tall;
it doesn't matter if they're dark or light.
Some guys are beyond explanation;
some guys are both wrong and so right.

They give off sparks as they walk by,
and I'm inflammable and dry.

But Molly's plan doesn't take into account everything. Like how you could get pregnant your first time having sex. What new plans must Molly make in her life now? What will Molly choose to do next?


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews