Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates

From the Publisher

Later, I would think of it as crossing over. From a known territory into an unknown. From a place where people know you to a place where people only think they know you.

It began with me a year ago this past July. A few weeks after my fourteenth birthday. When Freaky Green Eyes came into my heart.

When her parents separate, Franky Pierson has no trouble deciding whose side she's on. After all, her mother is the one who chose to leave. And when her mother is suddenly reported missing, Franky believes she's simply pulled a disappearing act and deserted their family for good. But a part of Franky, a part she calls Freaky Green Eyes, knows that something is wrong. And it's up to Freaky to open Franky's eyes to the truth.

Publishers Weekly

In our 2003 Best Books citation, PW wrote, "The daughter of a charismatic football star-turned-sportscaster narrates this captivating novel, which bears some resemblance to the O.J. Simpson story. Oates builds the mounting tension masterfully." Ages 14-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Christine Sanderson - VOYA

Fourteen-year-old Francesca "Franky" Pierson, daughter of a former football star and famous broadcaster, cannot understand her mother's reluctance to be a part of her father's success. When her parents separate, she shuts her mother out of her life and closes her eyes to the signs that her popular father is controlling and abusive. Earlier that summer, however, Franky had discovered an inner strength and refers to that part of herself as "Freaky Green Eyes." As the summer continues, Freaky Green Eyes allows her to accept the truth about her parents' relationship and finally to testify against her father when she realizes that he has murdered her mother. "I was Freaky Green Eyes, and knew what I wanted and wasn't afraid." For readers old enough to remember the O. J. Simpson trial, there are obvious parallels, including Franky's quick-tempered, football star father and the murder of her mother and a friend. Oates's use of an adolescent narrator who comes of age while learning the truth about her family and helping to solve her mother's murder, however, adds an original dimension to this story. For younger readers without the trial as a frame of reference, the novel stands on its own as a realistic treatment of domestic abuse. Given the book's strong female protagonist, it should have broad appeal with girls, particularly in junior high school. It is appropriate for all libraries. VOYA Codes: 3Q 4P J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, HarperCollins, 352p,

Claire Rosser - KLIATT

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, September 2003: This thriller reminds the reader of the infamous O.J. Simpson case, in that it is about the family of a highly successful sports commentator and the murder of his wife, the narrator's mother. Franky (Francesca) adores her father and blames her mother for making him mad. She herself successfully fights off a violent encounter with an older teenager who tries to rape her, who accuses her of having "freaky green eyes" when she gets angry. So Franky doesn't know why her mother can't defend herself better. Her mother is trying her best to establish a life away from the controlling obsessions of her husband, Franky's father. She gets a cottage in a harbor community and pursues her art, telling her children she loves them and their father, but needs to have her own space. Franky and her younger sister see this as desertion and have very little understanding of the true situation. But when their mother disappears altogether, Franky questions her own assumptions about the family situation, and she opens her eyes to the possibility that her father is a murderer. Oates creates a suspenseful story about a strong, intelligent young woman. The high stakes involved in facing the truth are grippingly realistic—in fact, Franky's older brother is never able to accept his father's guilt and interprets Franky's cooperation with the police as betrayal. This will be a popular selection in the YA collection. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, HarperTempest, 341p., Ages 12 to 18.

Kirkus Reviews

Freaky Green Eyes, born during a drunken assault at a teen party, becomes one teen’s inner voice of resistance as her family crumbles around her. Franky’s father is Reid Pierson, former star football player and current star sportscaster; all her life, he has been the charismatic sun around which his family revolves. To make him angry is to risk losing his approval and his love, and the punishments he metes out are harsh, but just. As Franky keenly observes, "It’s hard to change how you feel. How you think is a lot easier." So warped is Franky’s perception, that when her mother, an artist desperate to assert a life outside of the family orbit, moves out, her loyalties remain with her father--until her mother disappears entirely, and Freaky Green Eyes gives her the strength to confront her life honestly. Oates crafts an unflinching look at Franky’s struggle to define herself against a backdrop of family violence, turning what could have been rendered as a sensationalistic "ripped-from-the-headlines" melodrama into a quietly gripping, beautifully written, impeccably paced psychological thriller. (Fiction. YA)

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