Family Secrets (novel)
Encyclopedia
Family Secrets is a young adult novel written by Norma Klein
.
in high school
. Their romance is immediately complicated by Leslie’s discovery—by reading her mother’s diary—that her mother, Aline, and his father, Nelson, are having an affair. Before the summer is over their parents have announced their impending divorce
s and Leslie and Peter’s lives are thrown in disarray.
The pair spends the next few months of their lives dealing with senior year in high school, the divorces of the parents, and the quick marriage that legally makes them stepsiblings. In addition, Peter is striving for early acceptance at Harvard while Leslie spends much of her time in rehearsal for her high school play for she plans on going to college for acting and drama.
Peter at the start of the school year continues to live with his mother; Nelson moves into a new apartment with his new wife and stepdaughter. Leslie is upset at the new living arrangements because she is close to her father and is angry with Aline for the divorce and quick remarriage. In her struggle to deal with the divorce Peter’s mother decides to sell the family home and move to Chicago to finish her college degree. This forces Peter to move in with his father, stepmother and stepsister/girlfriend. The awkwardness of the situation causes the two to argue and abruptly end their physical relationship, having kept it a secret from their parents.
As they move on with their lives, Peter and Leslie reconcile and renew their intimacy as the new marriage begins to fall apart primarily because of Nelson’s womanizing, although Aline’s emotional neediness is also a contributing factor.
The novel ends with the couple planning a cross country car trip during the summer before they go off to separate colleges. No longer related, they are more comfortable to resume their relationship without the complications imposed by their parents' actions.
, sexuality
and recreational drug
use. Family Secrets is on the American Library Association
list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 at number 76.
This novel is on the ALA list for many and different reasons . Peter and Leslie have casual sexual relationship that is initially entered when one or both are under the effects marijuana. Only once is birth control
mentioned, and then only in passing as Leslie almost forgets to pack her birth control pills for a trip. Sexually transmitted diseases are never mentioned. Both drink alcohol
to excess several times and smoke marijuana. Peter also has to deal with his stress-driven overeating. Leslie attends an all-girls school and admires a teacher who actively promotes feminist ideals.
The behavior of the characters can be considered typical of most seventeen-year-olds with permissive parents largely concerned with their own lives. Although somewhat dated by current (2010) standards, the characters and situations are sharply drawn and the action moves quickly for those who are at a changing point in their lives.
Norma Klein
Norma Klein was a US children's book author. She was born, grew up and lived in New York City for most of her life. She died, after a brief illness, in New York City....
.
Plot
Leslie and Peter are childhood friends who become lovers the summer before their senior yearSenior Year
Senior Year can refer to:* Senior ; the final year in high school or college* Senior Year , the 2010 film by Filipino director Jerrold Tarog* The Lockheed U-2...
in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Their romance is immediately complicated by Leslie’s discovery—by reading her mother’s diary—that her mother, Aline, and his father, Nelson, are having an affair. Before the summer is over their parents have announced their impending divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
s and Leslie and Peter’s lives are thrown in disarray.
The pair spends the next few months of their lives dealing with senior year in high school, the divorces of the parents, and the quick marriage that legally makes them stepsiblings. In addition, Peter is striving for early acceptance at Harvard while Leslie spends much of her time in rehearsal for her high school play for she plans on going to college for acting and drama.
Peter at the start of the school year continues to live with his mother; Nelson moves into a new apartment with his new wife and stepdaughter. Leslie is upset at the new living arrangements because she is close to her father and is angry with Aline for the divorce and quick remarriage. In her struggle to deal with the divorce Peter’s mother decides to sell the family home and move to Chicago to finish her college degree. This forces Peter to move in with his father, stepmother and stepsister/girlfriend. The awkwardness of the situation causes the two to argue and abruptly end their physical relationship, having kept it a secret from their parents.
As they move on with their lives, Peter and Leslie reconcile and renew their intimacy as the new marriage begins to fall apart primarily because of Nelson’s womanizing, although Aline’s emotional neediness is also a contributing factor.
The novel ends with the couple planning a cross country car trip during the summer before they go off to separate colleges. No longer related, they are more comfortable to resume their relationship without the complications imposed by their parents' actions.
Commentary
This novel has been challenged in many schools and public libraries for themes deemed inappropriate for adolescents; in this case, talk about divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, sexuality
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
and recreational drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
use. Family Secrets is on the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 at number 76.
This novel is on the ALA list for many and different reasons . Peter and Leslie have casual sexual relationship that is initially entered when one or both are under the effects marijuana. Only once is birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
mentioned, and then only in passing as Leslie almost forgets to pack her birth control pills for a trip. Sexually transmitted diseases are never mentioned. Both drink alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
to excess several times and smoke marijuana. Peter also has to deal with his stress-driven overeating. Leslie attends an all-girls school and admires a teacher who actively promotes feminist ideals.
The behavior of the characters can be considered typical of most seventeen-year-olds with permissive parents largely concerned with their own lives. Although somewhat dated by current (2010) standards, the characters and situations are sharply drawn and the action moves quickly for those who are at a changing point in their lives.