Alone at Ninety Foot

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Using dated entries spanning the period from May 25 to August 15, Pamela
May Collins, 14, shares with middle-school readers a series of
happenings, in and out of school, that ultimately lead to her
confronting the issue of her mother’s suicide, which had occurred
slightly more than a year earlier.

For Pam, Ninety Foot, a natural pool in Lynn Creek that flows through
British Columbia’s Lynn Canyon Park, is both a refuge and a source of
painful memories. Pam and her mother had often hiked in the verdant
canyon, and her mother had committed suicide by jumping to her death
from a suspension bridge that spanned the canyon’s creek. Five years
previously, Pam’s baby sister, April, had died from SIDS at just eight
months; after April’s death, Pam’s mother had become increasingly
depressed. Now Pam must confront her father with the horrible questions
that for a year she has dared not put into spoken words: “Didn’t she
love me anymore? Why did she want to be with April and not me?”

Despite its potentially heavy subject matter, this first novel is not a
depressing read. Holubitsky has successfully caught the nuances of
adolescent life with its mercurial highs and lows. Convincingly
contributing to Pam’s growth are a large cast of characters, including
teachers and classmates, rivals and friends, the new woman in her
dad’s life, and Matt Leighton (a possible soulmate and romantic
interest). Ljuba Levstek’s cover illustration superbly captures the
book’s mood. Highly recommended.