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After a failed attempt at running away, Edna's attitude begins to soften when she meets Johnny, a high school boy whose family owns the local general store. For the first time in her existence, Edna finally begins to care about the opinion of someone other than herself, and the two forge a friendship that Edna hopes will become something more. Meanwhile, she starts to second-guess the shallowness of her L.A. lifestyle as she learns more about the desert and the true reason her grandparents have chosen to live there.
From the beginning, I was very taken with Edna in spite of her terrible attitude. While her sarcasm and disregard for others did get on my nerves, there was a part of me that admired her gutsiness. I personally find blunt, outspoken characters to be refreshing in a way, especially when they also possess a sharp intellect like Edna's. Her precocious intelligence, combined with Lederman's realistic depiction of teenage melodrama, makes Edna a surprisingly relatable character for both teens and adults (after all, Edna only vocalizes what most of us would say in our heads!)
As the novel unfolds, Edna's character gradually shifts from Beverly Hills brat to considerate young woman. Throughout much of the book, Edna's sole concerns are Johnny and his opinion of her, which initially is very self-centered. However, Edna and Johnny's friendship opens up a new world to Edna, one in which people actually matter, and by the end of the book Edna has laid the foundation for a positive relationship with both of her grandparents. While Edna is not cured of her outspoken nature, she becomes less snarky and more likely to think before she opens her mouth. One can imagine that Edna's next school year, while perhaps not completely free of incident, will be much less dramatic.
Throughout the book, the author weaves a subtle commentary on modern technology's impact upon interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, I can't say much on this for fear of including spoilers, but I can say that Edna's lack of access to television and the Internet is a driving factor in the story, and a very thought-provoking one as well.
Lastly, I enjoyed this book for the writing itself. I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors, and I appreciated Maddy Lederman's balanced descriptions of the settings. When I use the word balanced, I mean to say that she was not overly wordy. I was able to get a clear picture of the story in my mind without getting lost in long descriptions or explanations. Lately, I've read several books that frequently derailed my attention through the use of too much (or sometimes not enough) detail, so reading this book was a welcome change of pace.
I absolutely loved Edna in the Desert and have given it 4 out of 4 stars for its realistic characters, solid writing, and moving storyline. While I believe that this book would appeal more to female readers, I would recommend it to anyone who frequently interacts with younger teens, as it provides some perspective on the mindset of that age group.
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