Every Time You Go Away

February 1, 2024
As a teen navigates his mother's substance abuse, he comes in and out of the life of a girl who's dealing with the death of her father. Ethan and Rebecca met as children the first time Ethan's mom dropped him off at his grandparents' house so she could focus on battling addiction. Over the next few years, Ethan would often stay with his grandparents (Rebecca's neighbors), and the kids became close friends, sharing their first kiss as 13-year-olds. But whenever Ethan's mother showed up and whisked him away, their communication would stop. After four years away, 17-year-old Ethan is back. During his absence, Rebecca was in an accident that killed her father and left her a paraplegic. She's carried a burden of guilt over her father's death and has also felt abandoned by Ethan. Rebecca experiences pressure from her mom to go away to college, which would mean leaving a job she loves making jewelry at a studio where her boss is another wheelchair user. The romantic tension builds as the two renew their trust in each other. The coming-of-age milestones feel earned as Ethan has to let go of the idea that he can be his mother's savior, and Rebecca must accept that she wasn't responsible for the accident. Ethan and Rebecca are coded white. A heartfelt story of two well-developed characters who are much more than their challenging circumstances. (content note) (Fiction. 13-18)

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