Dark but Full of Diamonds is about Scott Dabney, sixteen, and the people who are important in his life. His father, Philip Dabney, is a well-known medical doctor. Although his mother is dead, she is still very much alive in Scott's thought and feelings. She was an amateur actress who loved to dramatize herself and Scott with glamorous, silly, affectionate fantasies. Hilah Brown is also an aspiring actress, but she returns to Scott's town to teach at the local high school, and there she falls in love with Scott's father. As Scott sees her, Hilah is a woman with charm, character, and sensual appeal.

In his mind, she is far superior to any of the women his own age who take an interest in him: Sarah Ann Darby, who looks "like she invented sex," or Sudie Ives, who is smart but bottle-shaped and like...