The Nature of Jade
The Nature of Jade
Deb Caletti
Jade is a high school senior in Seattle, experiencing many of the pains of growing into adulthood. Her friends are becoming strangers to her, and her family has been overtaken by a creeping silence. On top of her sense of separation from the people she cares about, she is also having to deal with anxiety disorder which sometimes can blow up into full blown panic attacks if she doesn't keep it in check. One day, having escaped to the zoo to watch the elephants, she is enticed by their keeper to come and volunteer. At first she is frightened by the sheer size of the lumbering beasts, but soon is enchanted and comforted by their gentle ways. And it is through the zoo that she meets Sebastian, a cute guy just a few years older than her, who just happens to have a baby. And things all at once start to become both wonderful and confusing.
A very honest and heartfelt portrayal of an enchantingly realistic character struggling, as we all do, with finding the life she wants to live. Highly recommended to readers high school and up, though a strong middle school reader or any adult with anxiety issues would do well to read it also.