3 Review(s)

Beginning in fifth grade, Phoebe Fine, the shy but observant daughter of an oboist in suburban New Jersey, finds that love is a risky game to play. There is Roger Mancuso, who offers Phoebe her first cigarette, her first kiss and her first experience of loss. There is Spitty Clark, the frat boy who is an alcoholic and possible criminal but also somehow a good guy. Later comes Pablo Miles, who licks the back of Phoebe's hand moments after he meets her at a party. And so it goes, as Phoebe struggles to reconcile her conflicting desires for safety and adventure. What She Saw... is written with freshness, humour and economy; this is an entertaining and accomplished debut.