Beauty Shop for Rent . . . Fully Equipped, Inquire Within, by Laura Bowers
Bowers, Laura (2007). Beauty Shop for Rent . . . Fully Equipped, Inquire Within. NY: Harcourt. 336 pages.
Fifteen-year-old Abbey comes from a long line of troubled women: after her young mother attempted suicide, she deposited Abbey at her great-grandmother’s place. Herself a young mother, “Granny Po” is haunted by a female family member of her own; her daughter–Abbey’s grandmother–committed suicide at age 36. While this sounds like a pretty depressing setup for a book, Bowers’ first young adult novel is actually quite charming. Abbey and her grandmother make a neat and unconventional family. The two live in a duplex next to the beauty shop in which Abbey and Granny Po both work. When a potential renter finally shows up with plans to renovate the shop, Granny Po and Abbey are a little concerned that the interloper will “fancy up” the shop where Granny Po and her friends–known as the “Gray Widows”–like to hang out and gossip. Gena, the young renter, slowly ingratiates herself and is soon part of the intergenerational clan.
The transformation of the beauty shop and the changes it brings for Granny Po and Abbey is just a small part of this story. As Abbey grows closer to Gena, she starts to compare this competent woman to her own rather troubled mother. When Abbey’s mother does return to Abbey’s world, the consequences are predictably tragic; however, with the help of Gena, Granny Po, and the Gray Widows, Abbey triumphs and emerges stronger.
The story is set in rural Maryland and Bowers does a pretty good job of evoking the setting. While the Southern atmosphere doesn’t become as rich a part of the story as it does in Gigi Amateau’s Claiming Georgia Tate (2005), it does sort of emerge as a character in the novel. A secondary plot involving Abbey’s social-climbing friend and Abbey’s reluctance to attend a popular boy’s New Year’s Eve party seemed like a bit of an add-on; however, the primary conflict–involving Abbey, Granny Po, Abbey’s mom, and Gena–worked well.