Fault Line - Hardcover

Tashjian, Janet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805072004 ISBN 13: 9780805072006

Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2003

Synopsis

A hard-hitting novel that breaks open the gritty world of teen relationship abuse, by the author of The Gospel According to Larry

"Unlike Abby, I hadn't had a boyfriend since Peter last year, and even that was stretching the definition of boyfriend way past anything Webster would recognize. I had better luck holding the attention of a roomful of people in a comedy club than a guy-I couldn't decide if that was good or just plain pathetic."

Seventeen-year-old Becky Martin-smart, funny, ambitious-aspires to be a stand-up comic. While setting out to make her goal a reality, she meets Kip Costello, a rising star in the San Francisco comedy-club scene. And what could be better than an intense boyfriend who cares about every detail of her life? But Becky soon discovers a darker side to Kip, where emotional and physical abuse grow hand-in-hand. As the relationship goes from loving to controlling, Becky must find the courage to get help before it's too late.

In this powerful novel, Janet Tashjian tackles the difficult and complex subject of teen relationship abuse from the viewpoints of both the victim and the perpetrator, showing that there are no easy answers for either-but many brave survivors.

About this title

About the Authors

Janet Tashjian is the author of acclaimed books for young adults, including The Gospel According to Larry, Vote for Larry, Multiple Choice and My Life as a Book. Disney adapted Tru Confessions into a television movie starring Clara Bryant and Shia LaBeouf. Tashjian studied at the University of Rhode Island and Emerson College. She lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her family.

Janet Tashjian is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Gospel According to Larry, which was a Best Book for Young Adults, a Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age. Ms. Tashjian lives near Boston, Massachusetts, with her family.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Fault Line

By Janet Tashjian

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Copyright © 2003 Janet Tashjian
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780805072006

Fault Line

Take my life ... please.

Laughter is one of the only things in life you can count on to bail you out of anything. Even when you're grief-stricken, shocked, or petrified, laughter can bring you back to that place deep inside that knows there's life beyond your pain. I remember the day I learned this in my bones: my uncle Danny had just died, and my mother had spent most of the morning sobbing at the kitchen table. I was maybe four at the time, feeling more helpless than usual. My father had brought up some extra chairs from the basement for all the relatives who would be coming in from out of town. I didn't notice when I sat on one that it was missing its cane seat. PLOP--I went right through the frame of the chair onto the floor. I didn't cry; I grinned--the shock of the fall was a welcome surprise from all the sadness. My mother burst into laughter at the sight of her little girl sprawled on the rug, smiling. Which of course made me fall through the chair again. And again. It was as if I hadwaved a magic wand. Before my very eyes, she was transformed from a broken-hearted woman back into good old Mom. Because of my actions, because of me. Humor was something thunderous from the heavens, with a power to change things in an instant.

Of course, bottling something as formidable as lightning is a tricky thing. Trickier still to do it night after night. Most of the time when I'm onstage, I feel like an alchemist: mixing a little bit of this story, a slice of that detail to come up with a fresh and humorous aha for the crowd to enjoy. But sometimes you fall flat, with a joke so inert you want to hang your coat on it. Those nights, it's back to the drawing board, pure and simple.

Here's what I want more than anything: not to headline the Improv, not to join the cast of SNL. (Okay, you nailed me. OF COURSE I WANT THOSE THINGS. I'd be lying if I said I didn't.) But more than those--much more--I want to learn how to trust my instincts. It's the part of comedy I haven't gotten a handle on yet, although I work on those skills all the time. Where I intuitively come up with some thought on the spot that binds me and the audience together for a brief moment--I get goose bumps just thinking about it. During each performance, there's some connection with the audience, but I'm talking about the cathartic,spontaneous kind. The search for that link keeps me writing jokes, keeps me auditioning, keeps me hoping lightning can strike.

I'm like Ben Franklin in a storm, holding a kite, a key, and ajar.

Waiting to connect.

Copyright © 2003 by Janet Tashjian

Continues...

Excerpted from Fault Line by Janet Tashjian Copyright © 2003 by Janet Tashjian. Excerpted by permission.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805072004
• ISBN 13: 9780805072006
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256