Vido’s moving and surprising coming-of-age story subverts first-love stereotypes when a 12-year-old boy and his father become enamored with the same woman. In the summer of 1979, Finn Maguire’s parents’ marriage is so strained that even Finn can see it. Around this time, he meets Billie, his father’s 25-year-old coworker, and his attraction is immediate—“she must be holy,” he says. As Billie begins spending more time with the family, her presence stirs up a mix of confusing feelings for Finn: dread about his parents’ marriage, excitement about his own attraction to Billie, and fierce jealousy over the flirtation between Billie and his father. When a sudden tragedy changes Finn’s life, he must wrestle with unresolved feelings about Billie, his parents, and his future.
Though she is the title character, Billie does not play a direct role in Finn’s adolescent awakening, remaining more of a fantasy in his mind. He is continuously aware of her presence in their small town and recalls the way she made him feel as a child even as he gets older. “Whenever I saw her car or we drove by the office or near her apartment, she popped into my head like she was coming around to say hi,” he muses. In real life, Billie remains an enigmatic yet troubled character, fleshed out mostly through Finn’s observations, showcasing how crushes can turn a person into an object to be idealized.
Billie’s ambiguity seems mostly intentional, with her heady presence contrasting sharply with Finn’s very real relationship with his high school girlfriend, Francine. When Francine enters the picture, readers see Finn formulate his own ideas and develop an identity as he confides in her and begins to make his own decisions. As Finn gets older, he also falls back on his faith, using religious principles to help him decide how to live his life. During his final confrontation with Billie, he must recognize the true nature of his obsession, leaving readers with a clear sense of how much he has grown.
Takeaway: Moving story of a 12-year-old boy obsessed with the woman who loves his father.
Great for fans of: Emma Forrest’s Father Figure, Bronwyn Fischer’s The Adult.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Click for the official review website:
👉 https://booklife.com/booklife-review/9781971167008