Whitegirl

It is hard to imagine a more intricate fictional look at interracial love than Kate Manning's well-written debut. Whitegirl is the story of Charlotte, a California girl almost stunted by her blond good looks, and Milo, an African American ski champion who has gone far professionally by never examining his deeper feelings. When she first encounters Milo at a small Vermont college, Charlotte ignores her attraction to him because of how self-conscious the racial difference makes her feel. Five years later, when they meet again and fall in love, they both have to learn how (and whether) to shut out the disapproving voices. "It was exhausting," recalls Charlotte, "being a human public service announcement" about interracial love. Milo must also face his guilt at not being with a black woman and his fear that he's just an Oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside). Although Whitegirl is smart and consistently engaging, there is a gap between the observant tone of its narrator, Charlotte, and the actual characterization of her as a good-time girl and something of a bubblehead. Milo, while flawed, is exceptionally well-drawn by Manning, and readers will be rooting for him by the end of the book. --Regina Marler