Caletti, Deb. Girl, Unframed. Simon Pulse, 2020.
Sixteen-year-old Sydney “Syd” Reilly has a great life in Seattle. She lives with Edwina, her loving grandmother, and has plenty of friends. She goes to a wonderful school where she is on the rowing team and loves art. Syd really wants to stay home for the summer, but unfortunately, she is obligated to spend it with her mother in San Francisco.
Syd’s mother, Lila Short, is a washed-up movie star. Although she is beautiful, she is also spoiled, immature, manipulative, and controlling. Lila loves herself and her life much more than she loves her daughter. She wants Syd to call her “Lila” instead of a maternal title.
Syd arrives at the San Francisco Airport and is met, not by Lila, but by a man named Jake, who is Lila’s new boyfriend. Giacomo “Big Jake” Antonetti is supposedly a realtor and art dealer. Lila wants Jake to pick Syd up at the airport so she can meet him and spend time getting to know him. Much to Lila’s dismay and annoyance, Syd does not warm to Jake.
The rest of the summer is a up and down experience for Syd as she navigates Lila and Jake’s relationship and screaming fights, which come to blows on many occasions. Syd begins a relationship with Nicco Ricci, who is about to graduate from high school. Syd is receiving a lot of unwanted attention from a number of men, including Jake, which makes her feel uncomfortable.
Nicco and Syd’s relationship deepens as they spend a lot of their time at the beach and at unusual landmarks around San Francisco. The tension at Lila’s house comes to a head during a fight between Lila and Jake and leads to a surprising, disastrous result for all involved.
Deb Caletti, who has published more than twenty young adult novels, has added another stunner to her arsenal. Girl, Unframed is a real page-turner, full of significant, painful ordeals that many girls and women experience. The novel deals with feminism and a young girl’s coming of age and her sexuality.
The descriptions of historical places in San Francisco are detailed, lush, and accurate. I had not heard of many of them, and I did some research to learn more. There is some foreshadowing in the book, foretelling a disastrous event; Sydney feels dread, and her friend, Meredith, warns her that Lila’s house is not safe. Chapter headings provide hints as to what has happened via courtroom exhibit listings from a crime investigation and trial.
The author handles the double standard of morals between men and women adeptly, alluding to the way women are expected to behave versus how men see them. While Syd feels lonely, moody, and restless, she also experiences feminine power. Framing is worked into the plot expertly—in the title, Jake’s “profession”, the description of art pieces, and the way in which women’s sexuality is portrayed.
Girl, Unframed’s many themes deal with friendship, first love, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse. Hand it to fans of contemporary dramas and mysteries. I recommend it for high school and public libraries and give it four out of five fleur de lis!
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