''13'' is the debut novel of Canadian author Mary-Lou Zeitoun, first published in 2002 by Porcupine's Quill. The novel tells the story of a

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

obsessed 13-year-old girl called Marnie Harmon growing up in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1980.

Plot

Marnie Harmon is a 13-year-old girl growing up in Ottawa. Initially she attends an ordinary high school, where she is alienated from her peers, who don't understand her angst, her rejection of fashionable clothes. She experiences unwelcome attention from a male teacher, and when she tries to retaliate, she is the one who is punished, being sent to a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

high school. It is at the more controlled school that Marnie makes friends, among the schools other rebels. They engage in rebellious behavior, like underage drinking, and hanging out in strip clubs. Her dream of running away to New York City, to meet her hero, John Lennon, is the narrative arc that cements the story.

Reception

In 2002 ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' named Zeitoun one of their 10 "Writer's to Watch" based on ''13'' praising the novel and saying reading it was "like going through adolescence all over again". Ray Robertson praised the novel's sparse narrative style, writing: ''"Whereas a less plot-conscious writer might have let Marnie marinate for 140 pages in her own emotional juices, stewing in the sop of her oh-so-sensitive soul, Zeitoun cleverly uses Marnie's obsession with meeting Lennon as a simple but effective storyline to hang a series of witty observations about the life of a properly alienated teenager."'' '' Quill and Quire'' wrote: ''"First-time novelist Mary-Lou Zeitoun's 13 wryly evokes an unavoidable time and place in everyone's life – the teenage years – without rendering the experience into saccharine nostalgia."''

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://quillandquire.com/review/13/ , title = 13: Review , date = 2012-11-06 , author = Viviane Kertesz , work = Quill and Quire , accessdate = 2018-05-16 , quote = First-time novelist Mary-Lou Zeitoun's 13 wryly evokes an unavoidable time and place in everyone's life – the teenage years – without rendering the experience into saccharine nostalgia. {{citation , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GR6dQqxaE14C&dq=Mary-Lou+Zeitoun&pg=PA40 , title = The girl can't help it , author = Ray Robertson , publisher = Insomniac Press , pages = 40–42 , year = 2009 , isbn = 9781897414545 , quote = Novels set in Ottawa 2002 Canadian novels 2002 debut novels Fiction set in 1980 Cultural depictions of John Lennon