Set on the Jersey shore against a backdrop of political instability and the Vietnam War, Acceptable Losses is the poignant story of a young girl and the sadness that pervades her life. Joellen is grieving from the loss of her mother and the inattentiveness of her absent father. Ida, the family cook, is the only source of support for her. She finds a kindred spirit in Joe Handy, a character with an equally desperate life brought to a too early end in the jungles of Vietnam. The novel, written in the first-person voice of Joellen, traces her life and maturation with great sensitivity. This is an impressive display of talent and a debut novel the author should be proud to have penned.