Protagonist Avery is the daughter of a stunning movie star who's clinging to relevancy after being an icon of decades past. Sent to spend the summer in San Francisco with her mother (she's usually away at boarding school), the story proved to be an unsettling coming of age tale as Sydney must recon with the ugly truths around her developing and changing mind and body. Away from the safety of her school and friends, she's in a situation where she's seen as an object that others- from her mom's sketchy boyfriend to even a random construction worker in the neighborhood- feel entitled to comment on and have an opinion about, when Sydney doesn't even know how to feel about her body herself. It's a message that perhaps felt a little heavy handed at times but is overall extremely relevant and unfortunately pervasive. Sydney's agency and sexuality are defined over and over again by the adults in her life much more often than through her own decisions and actions, and yet any harnessing of her own body's agency are instantly slapped with labels such as "dirty" or "out of control." Caletti did a great job balancing Sydney's inner narrative of anger toward these double standards and determination to be the keeper of her body with the unwanted yet unstoppable shame and disgust she feels when inappropriate judgement is passed on her appearance and actions, even from fellow females (such as her mother).
The setting of this story was so well done, and while it was never scary or overtly dangerous, there was a constant current of unease that was woven through the novel, especially in the large, old cliff side manor that Sydney finds herself spending the summer in, eerie both when she's alone or when it's full of the hushed fighting and stretched tension of her mother and boyfriend's tumultuous relationship. The book takes place in San Francisco but shows a different side of the city than many media does, focusing less on the tourist attractions and more on the historic elements that are a throwback to the glamorous and dangerous past of the city, from the Sutro Baths to the Presidio to the City Lights Bookstore. I've been to San Francisco more times than I can count yet I still found that this book surprised me with little nuggets of history and hidden places.
Overall: I went into Girl, Unframed expecting a thriller about the dark world of stolen art dealing, but that really took a backseat to the coming of age story of Sydney, trying to navigate a world that lays claim to her body and identity before she's even sure of who she is yet. Sydney's sense of self develops over the summer while the drama in her home escalates, and the end of the summer ended with a plot twist I didn't see coming. I highly recommend Girl, Unframed for anyone who's looking for a darker, yet achingly raw and realistic coming of age tale of a young woman in the modern age.
*A huge thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!*
This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
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