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9780385740487

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Reviews

<p>Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, October 3, 2011: <br>In an evocative first novel, O'Connell introduces an injured teen, whose sharp-edged grief and loneliness are deeply felt. After her single mother's death, 18-year-old Sandinista Jones cuts off communication with friends and concerned adults, so she has no one to turn to when she's targeted by an abusive teacher. On impulse, she stops going to school and takes a job at Pale Circus, a vintage clothing store that becomes a welcome escape ( Opening the door of the Pale Circus is like falling into a morning dream of Oz-bright Technicolor: you walk up any old flight of stairs, open a random closet door and find a dance hall in full swing ). Yet Sandinista's violent urges to seek revenge against her teacher grow stronger each day. O'Connell shows exceptional skill in building tension and creating atmosphere, particularly that of the neighborhood where Sandinista works. Minor characters--Sandinista's co-worker, her boss, neighboring m

Author Information

MARY O'CONNELL is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the author of the short story collection, Living With Saints. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in several literary magazines, and she is the recipient of a James Michener Fellowship and a Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award. The Sharp Time is her first novel.

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