What happend to Lani Garver?

[Spyells]

Have you guys ever read this awesome book? "What Happend to Lani Garver?" is a novel by Carol Plum-Ucci that came out in 2002. I read the book around the time it came out and I couldn't put it down. I've been meaning to reread it lately but I haven't gotten to it. Here's a summary of what the novel is about.


Is Lani a he or a she? Or perhaps an angel? Claire isn't sure, though Lani is her new classmate and close friend, a kind, caring, streetwise person who helps her out. And Claire certainly needs help. She has fallen in with a shallow group of hard-partying cheerleaders and "fish frat" boys on small Hackett Island, hoping to forget her recent bout of leukemia, her emotionally distant father who lives in nearby Philadelphia, and her alcoholic mother. Claire has developed an eating disorder, and blunt but insightful Lani gets help for her. Claire is a talented guitarist, and through the therapist Lani introduces her to she starts to play with a band of HIV-positive musicians, who understand what it's like to have a life-threatening illness. Through Lani, she meets talented though suffering people and starts to ponder new ideas. Just as her life seems to be getting back on track, though, Lani starts getting harassed by the in crowd on Hackett Island. A macho guy tries to molest him, and then turns on him, along with Claire's former friends. Lani is against intolerance and stereotyping; he hates putting people in "boxes," but, when pushed, says that he isn't a girl, though he looks effeminate. Homophobia and Claire's tendency to lash out quickly build up to a violent climax.