Meet Louise Harrison, the smart, sensitive, big-boned hero of Vancouver author Robyn Harding’s first novel for teens, My Parents Are Sex Maniacs. Dreaming of being a famous fashion designer in New York City, Louise finds her life taking a different turn when her father is caught in flagrante with the mother of her oh-so-popular BFF, Sienna Marshall. This sets into motion a series of comic events that propels Louise toward a new level of maturity.

My Parents Are Sex Maniacs is a wry and whimsical tale of teenage angst, fuelled by the lust for hair-care products and a desire to escape the melodramatic mediocrity of Grade 11. As Louise tries to come to terms with her parents’ failed marriage – caused by her father’s midlife-crisis infidelities – Harding humorously touches upon a  subject no teen wants to talk about: the sexual identities of their parents. Harding smartly manages to address Louise’s feelings while exploring the complexities of adult love, lust, and friendship.

Throughout the novel, Harding does a good job of portraying the complex social hierarchies that characterize the high school experience. Between knowing who-is-going-out-with-whom and who-is-who’s-sworn-enemy, there’s a truth to Harding’s characterization many teen readers will recognize. There are some twists and surprises, too. With two gay male characters thrown into the mix – one totally out and the other still in the closet – Harding effectively undermines the clichéd narratives typical of so many teen tales and their 90210 counterparts.

Even if the ending is a bit anti-climatic, Louise does grow stronger and wiser for being able to see her parents as human beings. Which isn’t a bad lesson for a teen to learn. Or read about.