THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE SHORTLIST โข From the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize finalist, whose short stories received instant acclaim (โSparingly told, evoked with lacerating intimacy . . . ExtraordinaryโโEsquire), a debut novel about a young womanโs coming of age, and the singular friendship that challenges her values, her beliefs, and the course of her life
At sixteen, Eva meets Jamie by chance. She lives in middle-class south Brooklyn; he comes from the super rich of upper Manhattan. Sheโs observant, cautious, often insecure; heโs curious, bold, full of mysteries. These two questers are drawn together in a strange and profound friendship, tested by forces larger than themselves. As Eva follows a path of conventional achievementโa prestigious degree, a formative romance, the start of an ambitious careerโJamie seeks out more radical experiments in finding himself: renouncing his family, joining a political movement, and eventually even talking to God.
Carried forcefully along by Clare Sestanovichโs exquisite prose, these two characters are pulled into separate spheres but circle the same questions: how to define their values and find their purpose, how to create a sense of self while discovering what they owe to society and to the cause of justice. These reckonings propel a surprising story of intimacy across time, exploring the alchemy of identity, the mystery of destiny, and the difficult journey of finding faithโin yourself, and in the world.