He’s mocked for his name and nerdy interests at Chapel Hill High School in Portland, Oregon, and doesn’t speak enough Farsi to communicate with his Iranian relatives either. Iranian on his mother’s side and white American on his father’s side, Darius never quite fits in. When Darius’ grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.ĭarius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. An attractive, laconic heroine in an upbeat presentation of a most difficult subject.
Meg's natural candor and muffled humor are encouraged by the neighbors-a seventy-ish gent who shares his camera and vitality, and an oddball, loving couple whose baby's birth (with Meg as house photographer) acids more than a pat "new life" contrast to Molly's approaching death.
Individual personalities are established, integrated, and then tested when a worrisome development surfaces Molly requires hospitalization and extensive treatment, and Meg realizes she is losing more than a sparring partner. Recently relocated to an old country house so Dad can finish his book, she suffers familiar resentments-a shared room with sister Molly, fifteen and pretty-but enjoys photography and a rare trio of neighbors, all older and understanding. Meg Chalmers is a plucky thirteen-year-old, tongue-in-cheek and heart-on-sleeve, exploring her feelings with a careful balance of insight and insecurity. An appealing first novel-brisk, witty, affecting-involving a teenager's experience with an older sister's death from leukemia.
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