Dessen captures the teen voice superbly in The Truth About Forever
By Cynthia Otote / Spinebreakers Crew
In The Truth about Forever Dessen tells the story of Macy Queen. On the outside she’s the picture of perfection: cool, calm, collected – on the inside she’s breaking.
The main issues in the book are loss and perfectionism. When Macy loses her dad she convinces herself that she needs to be perfect for her to be safe.
She has her whole summer planned out: summer job at the library information desk, studying for the SATS and helping her mother with her plans for an opening of the townhouse but Macy’s plans don’t anticipate a hectic job at Wish Catering where she meets a new set of friends that help her realise that being perfect isn’t as important as it seems.
Dessen is an amazing writer who captures the teen voice superbly. She has the power to involve readers in her stories and bring them from their world into her own.
With a collection of disparate but equally engaging characters and an ever endearing protagonist The Truth about Forever is a definite book to add to your summer reads.