First published 1987
Rick and Sheryl share the intense bond that only high school lovers know. In their Long Island community during the 1960s, they navigate the familiar rhythms of teenage romance until an unexpected pregnancy changes everything. The young couple suddenly confronts a world of rigid social expectations that threatens to tear them apart. Their families, their school, and their entire community operate by unforgiving rules about unmarried pregnancy. Rick and Sheryl must find a way to protect what they have built together while the adults around them push toward solutions that serve reputation more than love. The pressure mounts as they realize that the conventions governing their world care little for their feelings or their future together. McDermott captures the weight of a moment when two young people discover that their private happiness must somehow survive in a public world determined to judge them.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Long Island
Period: 1960s
183 pages · Hardcover · Farrar Straus & Giroux