Those Pink Mountain Nights (YA fiction)

     On the surface Jen Ferguson's Those Pink Mountain Nights would seem simple and straightforward, a story told over a five day stretch by three teens who work in a small, quirky pizza parlor.

     But dig below and it's anything but. The characters really come to life vividly, flaws, inconsistencies and all.

     Cam has dropped out of a school that never really made him feel that he was welcomed, never gave him accommodations to help with his learning disabilities. But he's plenty busy working full-time and caring for his three little sisters and their home while their mother is away at college. His beloved cousin, Kiki, has disappeared and the police have given up more quickly than they would have if she were white.

     Berlin is a high achieving rule follower whom some of her peers see as a tool. She has her future planned out in great detail. She does a great job of hiding her depression. She's distraught because her best friend has ditched her abruptly without telling her why.

     Jessie is considered to be a mindless rich girl. Her father is enmeshed in a far from ethical business partnerships. He'd like to marry her off to a partner who would trap her in a traditional marriage, preferably in a match he'd benefit financially from. But she has dreams. She wants to go to trade school to become a welder. 

     It comes as shock to the trio when their boss announces that he is going to sell his restaurant to a big corporation that will turn it into a bland profit obsessed chain. Berlin starts a social media to pressure him into changing his mind. Cam wonders if that's bullying. Jessie fears losing her new friends--it's her dad's corporation buying the place.

     Those Pink Mountain Nights not only combines a highly engaging plot with nuanced and complex characters, but introduces timely topics--missing and murdered indigenous women, the evils of capitalism, anti-Blackness, and depression--without becoming didactic.

     Bottom Line: Those Pink Mountain Nights is one of the best books I've read all summer. And you know what a binge reader I am.

On a purrrsonal note, I've seen the takeover of the chains here in Maine. Most towns and cities have the Dunkin, McDonalds, Subway etc.

A great big shout out goes out to the people who keep the distinct stores that convey a sense of place alive.

Jules Hathaway 

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