Crosses is loaded with social problems; it is almost a catalog of teen trauma. The characters in the book face, in addition to cutting, substance abuse issues. Nancy is also the child of substance abusers bringing in the entire issue of the effects of alcoholism on families. Nancy's behavior is, in many ways, almost textbook behavior for the child of alcoholic parents. Interestingly, despite her parents' constant admonishments, it is obvious to Nancy (and the reader) that their own house is not in order.

The "moral" authority parents and adults claim is lost here.

Crosses is as much a book about moral issues as it is about social problems. The ending of the book drives home the point that actions do have consequences. The characters are involved physically in things they cannot handle emotionally. The chasm between the two becomes a spiraling abyss into which Nancy...