Jars of Glass - Softcover

Brad Barkley is the author of two adult novels (Money, Love and Alison's Automotive Repair Manual) and two story collections, the most recent of which is Another Perfect Catastrophe. Two of his books have been Booksense 76 selections. His short stories have appeared in over thirty magazines. He lives in western Maryland where he teaches fiction writing and raises two children, both too smart for their own good.
Heather Hepler grew up in North Texas. She has lived in Reno, on the coast of Maine, in the interior of Alaska, and near Death Valley, but she currently is being held against her will in Tyler, Texas. She holds a Master's in Library Science from the University of North Texas and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She works as a reviewer for VOYA, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Media Connection, and The New York Times. Her first novel, Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (Dutton) is set for release in May 2006. The second, The Dream Factory (Dutton) will be released Spring 2007. Her writing has also appeared in the Southwest Review and the Cincinnati Review.

Grade 8 Up—Chloe, 14, and Shana, 15, live with their dad and four-year-old adopted brother, Micah, above their father's mortuary business in Portland, ME. Their mom, once an up-and-coming artist, has been hospitalized for a year. Shana's involvement in the local Goth scene, which Chloe doesn't understand, provides candid, grim humor and a nasty surprise. Chloe's obsession with their mother's last painting and reluctance to enter her abandoned studio worry Shana, who knows more than she is willing to tell. Dad is getting more and more vague and unreliable, and Micah has fears and needs that his sisters try their best to cope with. Tensions rise as Dad misses a visit from the dreaded social worker and spends more and more time on the roof, chain-smoking and getting drunk. If Mom can't come home and if Dad doesn't get it together—soon—they might lose Micah. Chloe and Shana share the narration of this shadowy story told in alternating chapters. Initially, the sisters' different personalities are clearly apparent. As they desperately seek a solution for their dissolving family and become enmeshed in their own struggles, their voices become less unique. Girls may enjoy the drama and angst, but the doom and gloom permeate so heavily that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish any real flickers of light at the end of this dark family tunnel.—Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
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