In her remarkable second novel following her Governor Generalās Award-winning debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Jen Ferguson writes about the hurt of a life stuck in past tense, the hum of connections that cannot be severed, and one week in a small, snowy town that changes everything.
Overachievement isnāt a bad wordāfor Berlin, itās the goal. Sheās securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side?
Dropping out of high school wasnāt smartābut it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kikiās disappearance, itās hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, sheās just another missing Native girl.
People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girlāand honestly, sheās both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants.
When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes several unexpected turns, all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways theyāve been hurtāand how much they need each other to hold it all together.
Jen Ferguson burst onto the YA scene with her first novel, which was a William C. Morris Award Finalist and a Stonewall Award Honor Book, and this second novel fulfills her promise as one of the most thoughtful and exciting YA writers today.