IMPOSSIBLE

Werlin, Nancy. 2008. IMPOSSIBLE. New York: Dial Books, 2008.

Werlin’s IMPOSSIBLE, a National Book Award finalist, is the story of Lucy Scarborough, a pregnant 17-year-old who discovers that the women in her family are cursed. Upon conceiving they must complete three seemingly impossible tasks or succumb to madness upon their child’s birth. If certain aspects of the plot sound a little familiar it’s because it’s loosely based on the traditional ballad “Scarborough Fair,” the lyrics of which tell the tale of a woman who implores the listener (who is asked if they are going to the fair) to tell a man who was once was her true love that if he completes a series of impossible tasks that he will once again be in her good graces. The song is a beautiful one, and the novel surely does it justice.

At the beginning of the novel, Lucy’s future looks pretty bleak. Up until this point, all of her ancestors have failed. She lives with foster parents. There is a heavy tone to the novel for just that reason as well as the reason Lucy is pregnant in the first place—she was raped on prom night by her date. It’s hard enough for a young woman to come to terms with such a traumatic event, as well as accepting the fact that she is carrying her rapist’s child, without the added worry of having to race against time to break a curse. But that’s exactly the situation Lucy finds herself in.

There is a silver lining, though! Unlike those who came before her, she doesn’t have to fight this alone. Though not her birth parents, her foster mother and father love her dearly and are very supportive as is her best friend Zach, who becomes so much more than a friend to her. This novel combines romance, fantasy, and suspense in way that makes it easy to swallow the tougher topics the novel addresses. Considering the subject matter, the book is geared more towards females as one reviewer points out: “Teens, especially young women, will enjoy this romantic fairy tale with modern trappings” (Montgomery).

Reference List:

Montgomery, Jennifer D. 2008. Review of Impossible, by Nancy Werlin. School Library Journal.