Fast paced tale, one of those chance-encounter-that-changes-everything narratives. Ellis is 17, just finished school, on the brink of adulthood, thrilling to the possibilities, still coping with the suicide of is best friend. He meets Jackie, who persuades him to drive them to a party, where they meet two sisters and return to the motel where they live called the Land Of Smiles. This is a whole different world for Ellis, a world of the rejected and the wounded and the disreputable. Before the 24 hours is up, Ellis races through a whole lifetime's worth of experiences, including love, rejection and a car chase. It's a great read about the darker, more dangerous side of life, a microcosm for the recklessness of youth haunted by death and the burgeoning notion of taking responsibility, both for yourself and others. if that sounds a bit po-faced, it's not, it's just that Mahy manages to pack a lot in there without making it look packed at all. ( )

Interesting. This quite readable YA novel follows 17-yer-old Ellis over 24 hours, during which time he leaves his middle-class life to become part of a rather touching community of misfits who gather nightly at a rundown motel. In the space of a single day, Ellis leaves behind his shy, loner, don't-get-involved personality to become a fully functioning member of a group that must depend on each other for kindness, support, and ultimately survival. It's a good read - nothing fantastic, but I do like the respectful way that Mahy always treats her female characters. ( )