First published 2002
John has learned to numb himself against emotion. His mother withdrew after her divorce, sitting in darkness each evening and refusing even to touch her son. His father stays too busy to spend weekends with him. John describes himself as immune to feelings and accepts this emotional numbness without question. Then he meets Marisol through fanzines. She differs completely from other girls around him, and her unconventional nature begins to crack his emotional armor. Under Marisol's influence, John starts pursuing his genuine feelings for the first time. This quest leads him into developments he never expected. Ellen Wittlinger examines the difficult forms love takes for both teenagers and adults. She addresses the pressing issues facing today's youth through their own language and perspective, placing individual communication and mutual understanding against societal prejudices while maintaining endless hope.
Genres: romance, coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
240 pages · Paperback · Günışığı Kitaplığı
Content warnings: emotional-abuse, mental-illness