I didn't know this when I grabbed it from the "Teen Zone" at the library (they let you in for being young at heart, I guess), but the author of I Can Hear the Mourning Dove is from Normal, IL, just twenty miles down the road from my house. The story's climax takes place at the Alleton Gardens by Monticello, IL, one of my favorite local places, and it was fun to read about the Fu Dogs, the Dying Centaur and the Sunsinger, some of the statues in the gardens. I also didn't recall that he wrote Faith Wish, a young adult novel I didn't care for, so at least I wasn't influenced by that bad memory.Mourning Dove was a bit better. It's about a crazy girl trying to get better and learning to trust people. The back flap on the book states that the author works with disturbed teens and that this was his attempt to "shed understanding on the bewilderment and confusion of mental illness and the courage with which young people tackle their lives." In other words, this novel wants to be Worthy. The thing is, I don't want to read about worthy causes, I want either a good story, a character that feels completely convincing and/or ideas that make me stop and think. Preferably all three. This book...well, it has Worthiness.The protagonist, Grace, is so confused and self-effacing that it would be difficult to take offense to her. I would say the book succeeds in portraying the fear and disorientation of mental illness. For example, I'm just your garden-variety neurotic, and when reading about Grace's hallucinations and difficulties communicating, I thought, "Wow, that would really suck."But no way is she a realistic depiction of a sixteen-year-old girl, hallucinating or not. When a guy states that he might "have a hard-on for her," for example, she replies with: "Please, I wouldn't know about that. I don't understand; does this mean you have desire for me?" I'm sorry, teenagers don't talk that way, not even timid, inexperienced, crazy ones. Maybe in the Victorian era. Not in my lifetime. (I was 20 when this book was published, so not too far off in age.)I also wasn't thrilled about the scene where Grace's shaving her armpits and applying mascara was portrayed as a step towards sanity. You don't need to be girly to be sane! I temped for a psychiatrist once, who would make notes about female patients' grooming and make-up, and it annoyed the crap out of me. While the mentally ill might "let themselves go," seeing as how they have bigger issues to deal with, not wanting to keep up with society's dictates about appearance (shaving, make-up, etc.) is nothing to be ashamed of! If Grace wants hairy pits, then let her have hairy pits! Rant over. (And yes, I do shave my own pits. Because I've been brainwashed. But if guys can be natural, why shouldn't women, if they want to?)So...if you like young adult books about mental illness, you would probably be interested. It wasn't a bad book. I just had a few quibbles.
Do You like book I Can Hear The Mourning Dove (1997)?
