What a wonderful thing it would be if every child came equipped with a fairy godmother to offer parents wisdom and support. Fumbling adults would have an inside track on knowing all the right stuff and, with someone watching over them would be encouraged to do the right thing.
But some purported grown-ups would defy even the most powerful sorcerer’s efforts to get them to pay attention to their kids. These are the adults Anna Monardo writes about in “Falling in Love With Natassia.” Even with these extreme hopeless cases, there is, as it turns out, room for hope.
The Natassia of the title is conceived on a dare. Her parents, Ross and Mary, are spending their junior year of college in Rome and are nothing if not young and foolish. Mary, who is already enjoying success in her planned career as a professional dancer, throws aside any concern that a changing body shape – let alone responsibility for a child – might have an impact on her career plans. The veteran of several abortions, she decides to have this baby.
Childbirth is not accompanied by a lightening bolt carrying a sense of responsibility. Careers reign: Ross graduates from medical school; Mary dances. Ultimately unable to care for their daughter, they acquiesce to a request from Ross’ parents to step in. Ross eventually moves to Spokane, Wash., to practice medicine, and Mary tries to call in from her tours. The two have, at best, fly-by parental relationships with their child.
The impact of years of benign neglect comes home to roost the fall of Natassia’s 15th year. Mary is vacationing with her closest childhood friend, Nora, and tells of disturbing notes she’s found. Her daughter is in an unhealthy relationship with a much older man. Natassia’s unwillingness to reveal any information about her lover is almost as worrisome as the sexually explicit nature of the notes. And Mary, having long ago abandoned the moral high ground, feels helpless to step in now.
She has little choice but to take action a few months later when the still-unamed boyfriend breaks up with Natassia. The young woman goes into a severe emotional tailspin. After a bloody suicide attempt, Mary takes Natassia to live with her on the campus of a private high school in upstate New York, where she is employed as the dance teacher.
Though much of the narrative focuses on Mary and Natassia’s relationship and the challenges of recovery, several side stories come into play. Ross is not only an absent father, but he also has serious substance abuse problems that effectively keep him out of the picture.
Nora and her husband, Christopher, are Natassia’s godparents and have been close to the girl all her life. But they are facing a number of marital issues that render them unable to contribute much to the situation. And, finally, early in the book an incident that takes place during Natassia’s infancy is revealed, one that may or may not have bearing on her present emotional turmoil but stands as a significant secret that exacerbates the situation.
Readers who are looking for likable characters should probably pass on “Falling in Love With Natassia.” The adults who surround the teen are bright, and even interesting, but they are consumed by self-absorption. With so many mildly interested but irresponsible adults raising her, it’s hard to see how Natassia could have grown up to be anything but the mouthy brat that she is.
That said, all of the characters face events that shake their status quo; some handle the upset better than others. While their actions and reactions may seem more extreme than most face daily, they simply reflect smaller problems blown up large. When Mary is talking about how her early failure as a mother hampers her authority now, she could be talking about any parent doubting his or her actions and decisions. And though large secrets threaten Chris and Nora’s marriage, secrets of a smaller type can also take a toll.
This is a novel that works if you can care more for the journey than about caring for those making it. Monardo’s novel is a far reach from many of the mindless diversions advertised as beach reads. It isn’t too heavy, it isn’t too light. Actually, for a summer read, it feels just right.
Robin Vidimos is a freelance writer who reviews books for The Denver Post and Buzz in the ‘Burbs.
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Falling in Love With Natassia
By Anna Monardo
Doubleday, 400 pages, $23.95
