First published 2004
Theresa spends her fifteenth summer babysitting on the eastern end of Long Island. Beautiful and poised, she has become the most popular babysitter in town. Parents trust her with their children because she tells wonderful stories and handles both kids and pets with natural ease. This summer brings a special responsibility when her younger cousin Daisy arrives for a quiet stay. Daisy is fragile in both body and spirit, requiring extra care. Theresa navigates the demanding children in her neighborhood and the chaotic homes where she works. An older painter begins paying attention to her, adding complications she has never faced before. As the weeks pass, the challenges mount and test her confident sense of how the world should work. The summer that seemed so perfect becomes the season when Theresa must cross the difficult bridge between childhood and adulthood. McDermott follows this transition with careful attention to the small moments that reshape a young woman's understanding of herself and her place in the world.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, adolescence, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Long Island
Period: Fifteenth Summer
285 pages · Hardcover · De Geus