School Library JournalGr 9 Up
Caleb and Maggie exhibit enough pain and anger to wreak havoc on their families and community, named, ironically, Paradise. Both missed their junior year of high school; Maggie, recovering from a car accident, and Caleb, jailed for hitting her while driving drunk. Now it's September and the beginning of their senior year. Each teen tries to slip back into old patterns that no longer fit. Classmates mock Maggie's awkward gait while anger and violence swirl around Caleb when he confronts his fellow students. Maggie's fury toward him turns her into a loner. And although Caleb spent a year in prison, he knows he will never be forgiven. Circumstances force them to work together and, under the benevolent eye of an elderly widow, they fall in love.
