Durable Goods

On the hot Texas army base she calls home, Katie spends the lazy days of her summer waiting: waiting to grow up, waiting for Dickie Mack to fall in love with her, waiting for her breasts to blossom, waiting for the beatings to stop. Since their mother died, Katie and her older sister, Diane, have been struggling to understand their distant, often violent father. Diane escapes into the arms of her boyfriend. Katie hides in her room or escapes to her best friend's house -- until Katie's admiration for her strong-willed sister leads her on an adventure that transforms her life. Written with an unerring ability to capture the sadness of growth, the pain of change, the nearly visible vibrations that connect people, this beautiful novel reminds us of how wonderful, and wounding, a deeper understanding of life can be.