Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott

Lamott's book is a "crossover" novel, with appeal to both older teens and to adults. It is the story of a family heading towards disaster. Mother Elizabeth is a recovering alcoholic, still shaky and lacking confidence in herself. She adores her daughter and wants desperately to connect with her. Step-father James is struggling with his career as a writer. He tries to balance the constant demands of his work and the responsibility of emotionally supporting his wife and setting effective boundaries and expectations for their daughter. Basically, neither parent knows how to handle Rosie, a bright, witty and seemingly responsible teen (she works for a Bible summer school and coaches tennis) who, despite self-denials and repeated assurances to her parents, is falling deeper into the local drug culture and a life out-of-control. The relationships are vividly described, as the three swing between overwhelming love for each other and an urge to kill. James and Elizabeth want to trust their daughter and so repeatedly fall for her stories about where she's been and what she's doing. Even when they try to discipline her, by grounding her and administering random urine checks for THC, Rosie outsmarts them. By the end of the summer it is clear that something has to be done to save Rosie from herself. The book is packed with emotions--anger, hatred, humor, desperation, and affection between the characters, and the tale is suspenseful and cautionary. This is a challenging but worthwhile read.