First published 2016
Annabel Graham takes readers inside a teenage girl's transformative first summer in New York, where she discovers both physical scars and hidden secrets. Olga Breydo follows a young Ukrainian immigrant in Missouri as she navigates the distinctly American tradition of homecoming through foreign eyes. C.E. Hyun reimagines Norse mythology when an ancient god finds herself reborn as a young woman walking the streets of Venice. Duncan Birmingham brings childhood friends together again at the iconic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, where past and present collide. Lillian Weber examines the delicate tensions that arise between roommates sharing close quarters. Michele Lyn King captures the way past relationships cast shadows over new love when an ex-girlfriend's memory haunts a budding romance on a college campus. These fourteen stories, handpicked by the editors of acclaimed literary magazine Joyland, explore the moments when lives pivot and change direction.
Genres: fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: New York, Missouri, Venice, Los Angeles
Period: 21st-century
266 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform