"Use Me," by Elissa Schappell

It's all about the fathers in Elissa Schappell's book, "Use Me" (William Morrow, 2000). The two main characters are two teenaged (at the beginning of the book) girls, but almost all their actions and decisions seem to be in reaction to their fathers. Evie is in rebellion against her father, who she thinks is dorky and fake, but when she gets older and he gets ill, her whole world is threatened. Mary Beth is a sophisticated young lady who lives in Manhattan and seems to have few limits on her behavior; for example, she has several slightly kinky affairs with older men. Her father left the family and she rarely sees him, acts as if she doesn't really care, but often thinks about him and yearns for his love and approval. Although this is a novel, the two girls' stories are told in different chapters, each chapter almost a mini-story of its own. It seems that Evie gets more space in the book, and is more clearly drawn; the reader suspects that Evie is the author's alter ego. Mary Beth's life and character are a bit more mysterious throughout the book. The two girls' stories converge when they become college roommates and best friends. They stay in touch as they get older, meet their mates, and live their lives. Their fathers continue to be huge influences on their lives, in their presence as well as in their absence, and especially during Evie's father's illness. Their relationships with their fathers are so fraught that they even influence Evie's and Mary Beth's relationship with each other. I don't want to say more for fear of giving away plot points. I will say that these two young women are bright, daring, transgressive, sometimes unafraid of anything and other times vulnerable and dependent; mainly they are just as confused as we all are when faced with the complications of "real life." The novel is fresh, immediate, a bit edgy, but mostly acutely observant of and understanding of the lives of young women.