The Sharp Time

Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge. Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets. Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she's offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance.

About the Author :
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.

Review :
Starred Review, Booklist, January 1, 2012: "The book takes place over the course of a week, but there are so many thoughtfully drawn characters and intense emotions that it reads like a small lifetime." Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, October 3, 2011: "O'Connell shows exceptional skill in building tension and creating atmosphere." Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2011: "Palpable grief plus irreverent humor equal one extraordinary debut novel. "Sharp" storytelling indeed." Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, October 3, 2011: 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