Out of Focus

by Margaret Buffie

In this novel by Margaret Buffie, 16-year-old Bernice Dodd feels lucky. Her mother's inheriting Black Spruce Lodge means no more roach-infested apartments or bullies in the hallways. No more avoiding the landlord or sneaking away in the middle of the night because the rent is overdue. But some things will probably never change. Bernie will still have to take care of her younger siblings. Her mother will keep disappearing on drinking binges and find yet another creep of a boyfriend. And Bernie's anger toward her mother will continue to grow. Could Black Spruce Lodge be the family's last chance to get their lives in focus? Will Bernie find some perspective -- on her emotions, on Jack, the boy next door, and on Tony, the goodlooking novelist across the lake? One thing is very clear, rage doesn't let go without a fight.

Genres: Young Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Award winning author, Margaret Buffie, was born and grew up in the west end of Winnipeg, attended various schools - graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. An artist for many years, Margaret decided to write a YA novel and Who Is Frances Rain? was published by Kids Can Press. It quickly became a bestseller after appearing in bookstores in 1987. Since then Margaret has published nine more YA books. She works at her home in Winnipeg during the winter and on the veranda of her cottage in Northwestern Ontario in the summer months. Margaret's books have been published in the United States, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, China and other countries. Margaret is the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for Body of Work (For writing inspirational to Canadian Youth); The Young Adult Canadian Book Award; is a two time winner of the McNally Robinson Book for Young People award and has been shortlisted for many other awards and honours.

Here are a few reviews of my first novel and most recent novel. To see more reviews for my other books go to http://margaretbuffie.com and click on each title.

WHO IS FRANCES RAIN?

REVIEW: Who is Frances Rain? is as distinctly Canadian as the intoxicating lure of silent woods and wind-whipped lakes. The textures of the narrative and the well-rounded characters are just as haunting as the ghosts Lizzie finds on Rain Island. It’s a ghost story with much to reveal to the thoughtful reader about the turbulent emotions at work within families. It’s a novel that makes us grateful for a strong new voice in Canadian literature for young people, a voice we’ll want to hear again soon. QUILL AND QUIRE

REVIEW:Who is Frances Rain? will probably be devoured by its young adult readers in one sitting. It deserves to be; this is an excellent book. TORONTO STAR

REVIEW:Buffie’s story is moody and atmospheric – the lake and the island are pungently, perfectly evoked. Lizzie’s encounters with ghosts are beautifully handled, with just the right balance of eerie and emotional moments. PUBLISHERS WEELY

WINTER SHADOWS

REVIEW:Vicky Metcalf Award-Winner MargaretBuffie returns with a breathtaking novel that is part realism, part time-travel fantasy,
and part coming of age tale. Winter
Shadows focuses on two young women who
live in the same Manitoba home a century and a half apart.....
This communication across time obviouslydraws on the conventions of fantasy, but these elements
arenever forced or implausible, and there is plenty of suspense and energy to sustain the two alternating narratives." QUILL AND QUIRE, DECEMBER 2010:

REVIEW: Buffie is a master of the ghost story, carefully allowing Cass and Beatrice to drift in and out of each other's lives in convincing fashion. The convention of the diary allows Cass to connect the dots and learn more about her ancestors. The dialogue both in past and present is authentic, revealing character and moving the action along. CANADIAN MATERIALS

REVIEW: The alternating narratives are gripping, and the characters are drawn with rich complexity; even the stepmothers are finally humanized. Readers will be pulled in by the searing history of bigotry as well as the universals of family conflict, love, and friendship. Grades 7-10.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOC. BOOKLIST: January 2011

THE DARK GARDEN

REVIEW: a first rate blend of ghost story and problem novel about Thea, 16, struggling to recover from traumatic amnesia after a bike accident. Buffie creates a tightly knit, evocatively written, and lushly (but chastely) romantic thriller. The protagonists - living and dead - are distinctly characterized; a once beautiful, now weed-choked garden is simultaneously setting and symbol of lost happiness. vivid sensory writing makes the fluctuations in Thea’s state of consciousness perfectly convincing. KIRKUS

Reviews

[Adrianna Baehman]

Personal Response:
I think Out of Focus was a book that I did not find myself lost in. It was okay, but I prefer series over one book. It was not very interesting, it was just a very slow story. I think it could have had a little more than talking about pictures, Bernie's alcoholic mother, and Tony. Out of Focus was a book that I did not really enjoy and I will not read it a second time.

Plot Summary:
Out of Focus started out with Bernie figuring out her mother backed out of a wedding that would have changed her family's lives for the better. She ends up being very upset that she will have to keep up acting like a mother to her siblings, so she decides to fix it. She finds out that her great aunt Charlotte left her mother, Celia, a lodge and shop in her will. Bernie threatens her mother and eventually they leave to go to the lodge. They become friends with their neighbors: Ruby, John, and Jack Broom. Bernie quickly figures out that Jack was close to her deceased aunt. They become friends, but one person stands in the way of their relationship. Tony, a man she meets on her first day at the lodge, intrigues Bernie and she starts to spend a lot of time with him. Celia warns her, but she doesn't believe her because she is a recovering alcoholic. She spends a lot of time being angry and starts pushing everyone away. She soon realizes all the people around her care about her and starts to mend her relationship with her mother. Bernie also figures out that Tony was just using her and spends all her extra time with Jack. This marks the beginning of their relationship and her family finally gets the life they deserve.

Recommendation:
This was a book you would read if you wanted to pass time. It was slow, so if you enjoy less action packed books, this would be a book for you. I would recommend this to those who had little time on their hands to get too involved in a story. In the end, this was not a book I would recommend for people like me who like more action packed books.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually not too bad. I was so ready to hate Bernie. I have a hard time reading about female protagonists because, unfortunately, they are usually written terribly. Bernie was not. I was hesitant to start reading this book because I was afraid I would be annoyed by her, but I wasn't. She's a character I could relate to, mostly because the anger she feels towards her alcoholic mother felt so realistic.

The actual story wasn't terrible, though it was a little trite: teen girl lives with her two younger siblings and a mother with a drinking problem, finds out they have a long lost relative who left them a some land and a cabin as inheritance, and decides to move out of Winnipeg to get a fresh start. Also, she loves photography. The love interest, obviously, is the neighbor boy, Jack, though Bernie is also weirdly attracted to this hot writer dude who lives across the lake and is a possible pedophile. Like, seriously, Tony was a creep. I don't know if the author was going for the whole "dangerous and likely a rapist" vibe, but that's what I was getting. He would randomly appear in the woods and flirt with her, touch her, and try to get her back to his place. He even gave her some hard lemonade, which she was smart enough to not go crazy on, but still. I was sure there was going to be an attempted rape scene, but thankfully there wasn't. Jesus.

Anyway, the characters were easy to tell apart because they had their own unique voices. I've read some works where all the characters sound and act alike, but the author did a good job of giving them actual distinctive personalities. The scenery was great and I liked the bits about photography.

I do have a complaint about Bernie's siblings. They needed to be more involved in the story! I loved Ally, he was a great character, (but why didn't anyone take him to a doctor when he started developing OCD and anxiety?) and Jojo was cute, too. Bernie mentioned once that she needed to start paying more attention to Jojo, (which would have been great, because sometimes I forgot Jojo was even in the story) but she never actually does. It would have been great to see more sibling interaction, especially since right away in the story we are introduced to the fact that Bernie practically raised the two of them.

This story isn't anything life-changing or profound, but it passed the time and I did enjoy reading it.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teenager, Berenice, AKA Bernie, resents her mom for going on drinking binges and leaving her to take care of her little brother and sister. When the family comes into some property from her great aunt Charlotte, Bernie takes matters in her own hands. She blackmails her mother into moving there and fixing up the lodge. But even this move to a beautiful place, doesn't do anything for her anger; it just seems to get worse. [return][return]I really liked this book even though I was ready for Bernie to chill way before the big confrontation and found that to be too facile, once it finally occured. I still liked her and the other characters, except creepy Tony of course.

[Goldie Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been a more satisfying ending(hey I'm a stickler for a good wrap up). I loved the raw emotion of the characters and the slow if not very slim formation of trust between the two main characters. Definitely an original plot line, full of new aspects.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another youth book, I still found the writing suited older readers. This was an older topic than Margaret's other books. I really liked Bernie's character and I felt myself being angry at her or scared for her because of her decisions so I was really able to connect with the character.

[Leon Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.
Downsides? We could've seen more of Bernice and Jack's relationship after they actually got together. They got together and the story kinda just... ended yk?

It gets quite slow at times. What really that big of a deal, but it might start feeling boring after certain chapters, then entertaining again in the middle of others.

The ending didn't really feel satisfying. The story felt like it just ended. Like, "Yup. This is it. Story's over." Everything was concluded, but the ending could've been written to leave more of an emotional impact on the reader imo.

Standouts?
The characters. I absolutely love how distinct each character feels from each other. I can imagine each and every personality so clearly. Jack is an amazing human being, and the book doesn't just tell you that; It makes you feel it. Tony is a creep and it's the same for him, from the very beginning
I'd say the only characters that felt sorta similar to each other were Ruby and Lucy, even in the way they were described to look, which had me confusing them sometimes whenever they'd end up in the same scenes together.

I absolutely love the direction they took with Bernice. Her becoming the embodiment of her mother to the people she loves, where you can understand why she is the way she is, but you still can't stand to be around her is just... mwah. Chef's kiss.

The same can be said for all her relationships with all the other characters— characters she loves, and has always told herself she loves—tbh. Her being so blinded by anger, and becoming convinced that nothing can change for the better based on her experience. The way her nervous system has become so used to chaos where, "at least she knew what her and every body else's roles were," that it feels more chaotic when stuff actually starts going well.
This leads her to lash out against anyone that tells her anything even remotely similar to, "Celia is starting to become a good person for real this time," and in her situation, I'd lash out too. Celia? The woman who has spent so many years ruining my life, the lives of her children, and the lives of everyone around her, destroying everything she touches? A joke, surely. And hearing it from Ally and Jojo— the last people she'd ever expected to hear it from. It was heartbreaking for both you, the reader, and her experiencing it.

The way it all eventually overwhelms her. The moment of clarity when she finally realizes Tony is a creep and everyone around her has been right this entire time. Her realizing (although it's not explicitly stated) that she IS becoming the new Celia. The way it overwhelms her and she gives in, and opens the bottle, succumbing to the dread that has plagued her all her life. The same alcoholism that has made their life a living hell, destroyed Celia, and Lydia before her. The same alcoholism that has plagued their family for generations. She was now becoming a victim to it. She was taking the final step to fully becoming the next Celia. The next Lydia...

Celia stepping in to make sure the curse ended with her, and she didn't pass it on to another generation.

If you're reading the review then you've probably already read the book (since the review has so many spoilers lol😅), but if you haven't, I definitely recommend.

If you don't mind slower pacing, and enjoy slice of life, then it's near perfect

[Kora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book for years... I read this when I was in grade 9 so I was around 14 and I loved it. I never liked reading or books so I often thought about this book but I never remembered the name. I am 20 now almost 21 and I just found it... Might read it again for old times sake

[Amtul · Rating 3 out of 5]

No doubt, I have never read a book that had so many thought provoking quotes. If you're looking for a book for young adults then "Out of Focus" is the right book for anyone, but this book isn't all what it seems if you take away the thoughtful quotes and meaningful confessions. Strip all that away and its just an average book, nothing to extravagant and nothing to boring either. It had an aspect of dullness to it, not just the atmosphere the book was emphasizing, but dullness as in very monotone. The plot was very monotone, there was no high or low to this book that much, but it dealt with very strong characters and some that could have used more development.

The reason why the plot/storyline is very monotone is because it felt like not much was going on. This book focused more on Bernice Dodd (even though she is the main character) there was nothing captivating about her other than a horrible past, adding to a sadistic element that makes readers emotionally attached. Often her pace was just anger,engage in a fight and heat up like there is no stopping. It is meant to show her in isolation and stress but it gets repetitive too much which makes it irritating too. Her anger is justified at the many people she has vented it on/does, such as the Broom family. Though the family were Charlottes' very close friends, the Dodd family were never close to Charlotte, so obviously it is kind of agitating to have someone think they are automatically friends with you even though they have never seen you. So, Bernie does not like them interfering, but she makes her fights between Celia and her very public and displays her "hatred" for Celia alot, which makes her siblings very uncomfortable. Celia was not having it easy either, so much rage had been implemented in both of them that it wouldn't quit. This could have proved a lesson, rage doesn't quit without a fight or, you should't hold on to things from the past.

Although the plot is weak, the author had backed it up with strong characters. Bernie, Celia, Ruby and Lucy were some strong female characters because they emphasized more on how much emotion they can contain, and how may changes they had they gone through to make them how they are now. Bernie and Celia were dealing with their own problems at home such as alcoholism, infidelity, and constant moving, to which Bernie had to take all the responsibility. Ruby was balancing her life taking care of 2 grown men while battling cancer, its amazing how she was managing doing so much work even at her old age in that state, and Lucy having gone through so much when she was younger, with her parents dead and showing perseverance when Celia was going through so much and her own daughter couldn't even help her. These all were indications of how strong they were, but not quite developed.

They're some characters whose development would have been nice to see such as, Ally, Jojo and Tony. Tonys' character was just left mysterious, the author didn't shed much information about him. His relationship with Bernie was not legitimate and they didn't openly state that in the book either. So it was not a good idea to have him be the bad guy if he was making out with a woman who had children. He was already very much older than Bernie and we never had a glimpse of his back story anyway. I was hoping to see an actual deep dark secret about him, why was he bringing all those bottles to Celia at night and why did he act like he loved her but knew that he didn't want to be in a relationship? Also, Ally had his moments in the book too, but could have developed more, I started to visualize him as a very mature kid- different from others, but intelligent, because apart from his OCD behaviors, he was a very calm guy and loves to be more intellectual with is interests such as his bug collection. This is why some characters could have been more developed into the story then just being secondary characters.

To conclude, "Out of Focus" was genuinely not a bad book, it was repetitive, but not bad with its story and the lesson it was trying to convey. I would give this book 6/10 or 3 stars because for me the ending was not really something I was enthusiastic about after reading, and was missing a higher level of readability, what could have helped was another captivating/active way of telling the story like I stated before, it was very monotone, and some characters were just missing the big picture.

[Jonnathan_zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Overview
In the book Out of Focus Bernie had found a house that her aunt left for them in the will. So she persuaded her mom to move to the house and then started a new life. But they are facing problems now. Such as how to get the money for living and the kids still have to go to school. And also, her mom's drinking habit is always a thing frustrate Bernie. But with other people's help, they finally came through all of these difficulties.
Personal response
I like this book because it shows us a lot in solving problems in the family. And the main character, Bernie is same age as me. I can really learn from her about what she did and didn't. Although my family isn't liker hers, but I can feel the feeling that she had. It really encouraged me.
Quote:
“Happy? I wanted me to be happy, too. But it wasn’t going to happen any time soon. … I was fighting a war here. If no one understood that, then tough” From Bernie's this sentence. I can feel her helpless, the sadness that she has inside her. She begin to losing hope for the future. But she finally stand up and face them all. The toughness that I can feel moves me.

[jiawei Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the oldest sibling and as the daughter of a drunken mother who always brings creeps back home, Bernice Dodd is carrying a heavy burden. Without the support from her parents, she is forced to be the parent now. She experiences and stresses what is supposed to be experienced and stressed about about a decade later. I enjoyed the unusual perspective and story of a teenager which impacted my own life due to the differences between our two distinctively two worlds that I'd realized. Pressure can make one crazy unless the individual enlarges the volume in his thoughts and mind.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book "out of focus" bernie had found a house that her aunt left for them in the will. So she persuaded her mom to move to the house and then started a new life. But they are facing problems now. Such as how to get the money for living and the kids still have to go to school. And also, her mom's drinking habit is always a thing frustrate Bernie. But with other people's help, they finally came through all of these difficulties.

[Nicole klidas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally enjoyed this book. It shows that people make mistakes and try to learn and become better from them and was just the thing to help me realize that people push you down all the time and that it doesn't matter, they don't matter what matters is your family and if you try to become a better person. Its not exactly written like that but i read between the lines.

[Janelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was to dark for me, and I didn't really enjoy reading it. To be honest I didn't even finish it, because I just wanted to start reading a different book. Maybe sometime in the future I will pick it up and continue where I left off.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernie is a young girl who is helping to raise her younger siblings. Her mother is an alcoholic single mom and is often unable to care for them properly. When she learns that her mother has inherited a fishing lodge she sees this as a second chance for her family.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obtained my favorite quote from this very book.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good look at how parents can really mess up their children. the protagonist must come to grips with the fact that her father left them, and her mother is an alcoholic.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like, a must read. Haha.

[Sara S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that deserves more attention.

[Amy]

Another school

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all the plots in this one, but mostly the part about inheriting an almost-abandoned lodge and sprucing it back up.

[Megan Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have probably given this a 5 stars when I read it a couple years ago

[Kerri Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book. It's basically about forgiveness. A recommended read. Buffie portrays anger very well in a well created teen.

[Bridget Petkac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book ends exactly how you think it would end. Good book, would recommend. But it was a tad boring.

[MooMoo]

of focus is the best book that i have ever read. I have never read a book that is so much inspiring. There is so many problems was Branice is handling all by herself. For example her mother keeps drinking and disappearing. Sixteen year old Branice Dodd is also responsible for her mom and her younger siblings. When Branice was younger she had witnessed her mom got abuse by her father. She would of be forced to see her mother Celia gets hurt by her dad all the time. After her parent divorced she thought things would Change but something will probably never change is that her mother is breng drinking. I like the many character Branice so much because she is strong and responsible for herself and her family. If I were Branice I wouldn't be that strong and responsible for my family. Branice is also a good role model because she doesn't give up on her mom and she never leaves her family to go somewhere else. If other teens were in Branice satiation they would of had depression, anxiety or even kill themselves. Even though her mother is an alcoholic and drunken addiction she has never hurt any of her family members. Some people are alcoholism and addiction problems because they have been abuse, peer pressure, influence and want to feel good about their selves or forget about the abuse. To conclude, I really love this book and I would recommend it to anyone, especially young adults

[Hallie]

This book was about a girl whose mom is a alcoholic. She has two sibling and wants the best for them. So after her mom calls off her wedding. They move to a cabin that was owned by her late aunt. They fix it up with the help from the neighbors.

It was really hard for me to start and finished that book. It took me awhile to get into it. But once I did I really enjoyed it. Bernice just wants to make everything perfect and she doesn't see that everything is already good at the cabin. I think this is a good book. But it wasn't my favorite