Greenway, Alice. White Ghost Girls.

GREENWAY, Alice. White ghost girls. Grove, Atlantic. 168p. c2006. 0-8021-7018-8. $13.00. SA This lyrical debut is the compelling account of the summer that cautious Kate and her desperately wild sister Frankie spend in Hong Kong. The girls are living there with their artist mother while their father photographs the events of the Vietnam War. This novel recounts Kate's memory of the one story that matters to her: Frankie's story. Frankie lives her life as a frantic series of contradictions. She is desperate for her emotionally unreachable father's love. As a means to either attract his attention or replace him, she flirts inappropriately with men much older than she. Her advances are quite sexually charged, and as the story progresses, we hear of one man molesting her and another having sex with her. Each time, Frankie's response indicates that she has been in control the entire time and that she is the one who is actually taking advantage of these men. However, Kate's intuitive sense of her sister leads her to believe otherwise. Frankie's apparent attitude of empowerment is too forced to be plausible, and her actions are too frantic to be emotionally whole. After one particular encounter, Kate sees that her sister's makeup is smeared from crying. As the tale progresses, we see that Frankie's actions will inevitably lead to tragedy.

Just as Frankie's character is a conundrum, this novel is a startlingly beautiful contradiction. The language is lovely and poetic, while the subject matter is disturbing and coarse. A gorgeous day on a boat begins with descriptions of quiet green water and ends with the rotting, bloated body of a Chinese woman. A bag containing a bomb that kills a mother and maims a child is referred to as a bag of lychees. A joyful reunion ends in such abrupt tragedy that it feels like a physical jolt, and readers must almost pause to catch their breath. The slimness of this novel belies the deeply moving and complex content of the narrative. Kate's coming-of-age drama and Frankie's destructive choices will certainly resonate with older teens. Heather Lisowski, YA Libn., Castle Rock, CO