Test Pattern

by Marjorie Klein

When a new TV set arrives in the Palmer household in Newport News, Virginia, in 1954, change is in the wind. Eleven-year-old Cassie discovers that she--and only she -- can see glimpses of the future within the hypnotic test pattern: snippets from President Kennedy's assassination, the landing on the moon, the O.J. Simpson trial. Meanwhile, her family goes haywire. Her mother decides to pursue her dream of becoming a famous tap dancer, while her shipyard-worker father plunges into depression. Brilliantly re-creating the innocence and energy of that time, this magical tale offers a witty reflection on the troubled path to fame, a child's awakening to the world, and the tangled web of the family.

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age

Paperback

First published January 26, 2000

About the author

Marjorie Klein's first novel, Test Pattern (Wm. Morrow Publishers, 2000; HarperCollins/Perennial 2001) was a Barnes and Noble "Discover Great New Writers" selection. Boom! A Miami Beach Story was published in 2021. Her essays and narrative nonfiction have appeared in various publications, including 20 years of writing for Tropic, the Miami Herald's former Sunday magazine. Recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and an MFA from Florida International University, she served as a preliminary judge for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts for 13 years and is a member of the Flatiron Writers group in Asheville. She has taught in writing programs at the university level in Florida and North Carolina, and presently lives in the Asheville, NC area.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and entertaining. I well remember the test pattern days of television. This read like an early sitcom in print. Well written and funny.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great premise behind this book. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a delight! Great walk down memory lane.

[Kate Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than I remember it being - bittersweet and funny story about a 12-year-old girl in Virginia in 1954 who, after the family purchases their first television set, can see the future in the test pattern. Plus her mother is crazy. I am really good at writing reviews.

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what I liked at the core of this novel was the exploration of how television impacts one's sense of self as well as familial relationships. Klein did a good job of balancing mother and daughter dual narration. Each character would have been unsympathetic if only told by the viewpoint of the other.

All that said, I think the blurb (seeing future television broadcasts through the test pattern) was an intriguing premise that took a back seat to more basic family dynamics. It didn't seem to impact much until the pivot point at the end and then just as mysteriously as it began, the phenomena disappeared. Despite the rich and wonderful mythological reference to Cassandra (prophetess who is condemned for predicting the future), the storyline doesn't begin to live up to that allusion.

Another very minor note, at one point Lorena describes holding the baby Cassie as something similar to her curling up like an anchovy in her arms. It stood out as unique. Then later the same image was used to describe her cuddling up next to her husband. I found it vaguely disturbing to consider both maternal and sexual embraces with the same odd image.

[Margaret]

In 1954, the Palmers of Newport News, VA, are the 1st on their block to own a television. 11-yr-old Cassie not only gets to watch her favorite shows (Howdy Doody, Ozzie and Harriet) but discovers that events from the future appear in the TV's test patterns. She watches American Bandstand & Roseanne & learns, for example, about the election & death of JFK, the move of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, & Ronald Reagan's metamorphosis from actor to politician. She also watches w/ horror as the test pattern reveals a serious argument between her parents. For Cassie's mother Lorena, the new set offers a way out of her boring life as a housewife & mother: a chance to audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts & strut her stuff as a dancer.
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I thought the test pattern idea was interesting and I found the book entertaining. I liked that the chapters alternated between Cassie and her mother although I would have preferred them both speaking in first person (just Cassie did).

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit it. I chose this book primarily because I liked its cover. In spite of what people say, I usually have good luck picking books by that method. Not this time, though. Boy, was this book disjointed. The different plot lines were clumsily stitched together. I read "Reconstructing Amelia" a couple of weeks ago and it had the same problem, although its pieces were much better written than those of this book.

There were a few likable characters in this book, primarily the teenaged girl who sees things in the test pattern on the family's new TV. I don't think I could have finished the book otherwise.

Not recommending this one to anyone.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out and liked it's quirky plotline. Set in the 50s, a family acquires their first television set; and one family member begins to see glimpses of the future in the test pattern. May be hard for readers who can't get their heads around a time when a) having a first television was a novelty, and b) there were test patterns. But reach for this if you want a different kind of story, well told.

[Juli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really underwhelmed by this book. I thought that the "test pattern TV" would be integral to the plot, but the story was more about the mother. An unfulfilled 1950s homemaker who felt unappreciated and wanted to be a star, she was selfish and irritating. Not something I'll recommend to friends.

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I grew up with the test pattern, this book really tickled me. This dysfunctional family is both sad and sweet. Quick read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might have given this a five, but the ending was too abrupt for me. Was looking for one more chapter.