Out in the Mountains The Cat Came Back: A Review Susan Jasmin Stevie, Andy, Duncan, Diamond, Jessie and Pat, the starting line for a boy’s jun- \F- j Restore yourself in a quiet, pastoral setting with easy ac- cess to hiking, skiing, canoeing, horseback riding, and cultural events at Dartmouth College and Woodstock. Reasonable rates and friendly hosts. ln Hartland Four Corners, VT. (802) 436-3070 for reserva- tions. Friday - Saturday October 15 - 16 7:30 pm. Burlington PROCEEDS TO BE VERMONT RESPITE Lyman Hunt School 63 TALCOTT ROAD, WILLISTON, VT 05495 ior varsity hockey team? No, all girls, and pet peeves aside for giving mas- culine/androgynous names to young fe- male characters, Hilary Mullins’ recent book, The Cat Came Back , from Niaid Press, is a positive novel in diary form of seventeen year old Stevie Roughgarden whose senior year at a private prep school is suddenly consumed by adult re- alizations of sexuality, peer pressure, po- litical statement and the treatment author- ity figures can inflict on young adults efforts at non—conforrnity. The impetuous for change is a new tearn— mate on the girl’s hockey team Stevie captains, named Andrea Snyder. Andy becomes the focal point for infatuations despite Stevie’s rather lengthy in- volvement with male professor Rik Wood. The affair between teacher and student is rather typical prep school pap in an isolated setting. As Stevie gains strength in her convictions throughout the course of the book and becomes aware of lesbian relationships around her, the journal entries slowly undergo a transformation from raging adolescent to conscious decision-making adult. An en- EAD counter with a lesbian couple early in the l novel leaves Stevie wondering if Lois, Andy’s mother, local college professor and acquaintance of the two women, “would still like them if she knew. May- be she would flunk them or something.” Stevie is also prone to panic attacks that A “fuzz” her out of reality momentarily. Andy, willing to make the most of her new friendship with Stevie, time and time again snaps her out of them and back into the present. A creative writing course introduces Stevie to Rubyfmit Jungle, after which she can finally write in her journal of Andy, “ILOVEHER”. The Cat Came Back realistically relates the ongoing battle between adolescents and adults, while sensitively working out the broad reaching feelings of initial af- fection, physical attraction and the ul- timate reality of yes, I’m queer and it is neither bad or deviant. Hilary Mullins lived in Burlington Ver- mont for seven years and dedicated this, her first novel to her mother and “the women of Burlington”. She will be read- ing from The Cat Came Back on October 20th at 7 pm at Chassmen and Bern in Burlington. V A wonderful new musical about people and their relationships when confronted by life's ultimate experience...DYING. $l0 - GENERAL PUBLIC $5 - SENIORS, STUDENTS WITH ID AVAILABLE AT THE VERMONT RESPITE HOUSE, FLYNN BOX OFFICE OR AT THE DOOR NEFIT HOUSE, Thursday - Friday October 21 - 22 Carpenter Auditorium Given Building, UVM DZMONI‘ QlEDlll3 HOUSE inc 7:30'p.m. 16