Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

"Lock and Key" is the first young adult (YA) novel I have read all year and I am happy to say that going back to my roots (I've always particularly enjoyed YA fiction, especially Sarah Dessen's) was a smart and satisfying move. Even though I am 22 years old and well out of my teenage/high school years, this novel spoke to me in a way I could still relate to. Who hasn't questioned the meaning of family and relationships or felt compelled to help someone who didn't want it? How about feeling like an outsider in a new and foreign place?

.

This little gem, Dessen's eighth novel, tells the story of Ruby: A seventeen-year-old girl who has been raised by a neglectful mother for the past ten years, alone. When her mother finally leaves one day and doesn't return, Ruby is forced to live with her long lost sister Cora, who is wealthy, married, and trying to get pregnant.

.

Despite her resistant attitude, Ruby is forced to switch schools, make friends with the cute boy-next-door Nate, and spend time with her brother-in-law Jamie, an overly-optimistic entrepreuner who happens to be my favorite character. Ruby's relationship with Nate unfolds as they commute to school together each day, providing the fundamental romance element in Dessen's story. We also learn that Nate has a dark secret, something that Ruby has trouble responding to throughout the novel.

.

"Lock and Key" is both heart-warming and raw; unique and believable. Every character has his or her own quirks, adding humor and playfulness throughout the plot. Gervais is the obnoxious twelve-year-old whiz kid in high school; Harriet is Ruby's coffee-downing, control freak of an employer; and Olivia is Ruby's talkative and outspoken classmate at her new private school.

.

As Ruby gets to know the new people in her life, she begins to reexamine the meaning of family, and rethink the one thing she's always desired most: Complete independence.

.

What I love about this novel is the natural progression of Ruby's metamorphasis from troubled independent bad-girl, to mature young adult. Dessen has always had such a strong gift for creating genuine characters; I feel as if I could look up Ruby's name in a phone book and find her living still today.

.

I recommend "Lock and Key" to teens and adults alike. In fact, just about every Sarah Dessen novel is well worth its cover price. I haven't met a person yet who doesn't absolutely love her books, regardless of age. Contrary to other current YA novels on today's market, "Lock and Key" -- along with Dessen's other books -- will undoubtedly become a timeless classic that I someday hope to share with my own children.