Dear Nobody
Style: Average
Attitude: Take Care
This review was contributed by Ben G
Publisher: Puffin
Published in: 1991
Age Range: Mid Teens
Period: Contemporary
Setting: Sheffield
Genres: Coping with , Moral Issue
Characters:
- Helen is a 17 year old girl whose world is turned upside down when she becomes pregnant.
- Chris is Helen's cheerful boyfriend who becomes distraught when he realises Helen is pregnant.
Synopsis:
Helen becomes pregnant with her boyfriend's baby and as she is so young and distraught she does not know whom to turn to. She knows that her mother's reaction will be awful so she cannot confide in her. Her world had been turned upside down, she had planned to go to university but with a baby this will be very difficult. She becomes very depressed and so tries to end the pregnancy with a horse riding accident, however when this fails she turns to her baby, her “Nobody”, and writes a series of letters that explain her feelings to it. Eventually she decides against having an abortion but still does not know what to do in the future.
Notes:
The book is clearly for over 16s as it touches on several adult themes such as abortion and teenage pregnancies. Although Helen eventually decides against the abortion there are still several characters in the book, including her mother, who consider this a strong option. It is also worth noting that Chris' mother and father are separated and at the end of the book they consider a divorce worth celebrating so that his mother can get married to her long term boyfriend who she has been living with. Although Helen does try and get rid of her unborn baby in the horse riding accident it is clear that she considers this a mistake later on in the book.
“What's the matter?” Chris asked me. “I did a test and it was negative” I told him. “Then I fainted at your dad's and did another test this morning. It was positive”
Thursday 17th July 2003