Bryant, Amy 1970-

PERSONAL:

Born 1970, in VA; married Bruno Blumenfeld (a musician).

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

Polly (novel), Harper Perennial (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Amy Bryant's debut novel, Polly, is the story of a young woman growing up in the Washington suburb of Reston, Virginia, during the 1980s. Uncomfortable with her peer group, Polly Clark finds friends in the hardcore music scene. Bryant told interviewer Susan Henderson of the Litpark Web site that the book is an adaptation of stories she wrote about individual young women and the young men they dated. In the novel Polly dates these young men, all of whom fill various needs in her life beginning in sixth grade, as well as some who abuse her. Bryant drew on her own experiences in writing this novel that Library Journal contributor Amy Watts noted, contains "enough sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll to make this a risky choice" for younger readers.

"The darker, more interesting subtext is that Polly's perfect suburban family is anything but," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Polly lives with her mother and cold stepfather, and her father lives in North Carolina, where he spends what should be her child support on alcohol. Polly goes on to attend college at Virginia Tech, where she pursues her interest in art and her independence. "She discovers that she does not need to have all the answers right away and that it is OK to explore what you're not familiar with," concluded Marilyn Perez, who reviewed the novel for the Venuszine.com Web site.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006, review of Polly, p. 976.

Library Journal, January 1, 2007, Amy Watts, review of Polly, p. 87.

Publishers Weekly, October 9, 2006, review of Polly, p. 36.

ONLINE

Litpark,http://litpark.com/ (January 31, 2007), Susan Henderson, interview with Bryant.

Teenwire.com,http://www.teenwire.com/ (January 29, 2007), Kate Rounds, "Teenwire.com Talks to Polly Author Amy Bryant."

Venuszine.com,http://venuszine.com/ (April 16, 2007), Marilyn Perez, review of Polly.