In 1960s Virginia, teenage Beck is growing up, and struggling to come to terms with two tragic deaths in the family. As the daughter of the U.S Senate Majority Leader, Beck is expected by her grandmother to embody virtue and maintain a pristine reputation. But Beck yearns for "a boyfriend, to be a normal girl." Her childhood love, Randall, runs away to become a musician but returns when Beck is sixteen, finally ready to love her. But a single night together leads to a potentially career-destroying political scandal that only her grandmother can help hide: pregnancy.
Oshins's experience as a singer/songwriter shines through as Beck explores the "rush of independence and teenage freedom" in garage band rock and roll. The sets of lyrics peppered throughout the narrative mature with the characters as the narrative touches on heavy, period-appropriate topics such as the Vietnam War, abortion, drugs, and mental illness, but doesn't allow them to overtake the story. Moments of welcome levity lighten Oshins's exploration of themes like religion as a means of redemption and the fallout of a life based on lies.
Beck's journey is compelling. Oshins devotes welcome time to exploring Beck's surrounding friends and family, a richly characterized group that includes her charming but reckless step-sister, Sonia-Barton, desperate to grow up too soon, and the villain-esque Miss Kitty, abrasive, outspoken, and trying to rebuild her life by going into the music business. Readers will enjoy spending time with characters that are flawed, real, and struggling with inner demons.
