The Infinite Pieces of Us

by Rebekah Crane

Overview

From the author of The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland comes a hilarious and heartbreaking novel about coming apart, getting it together—and moving on. It’s just a two-hour drive—

Pondering math problems is Esther Ainsworth’s obsession. If only life’s puzzles required logic. Her stepfather’s solution? Avoidance. He’s exiled the family to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to erase a big secret from Esther’s past. So much for the truth. Now for the consequences: an empty swimming pool, a water-sucking cactus outside her window, a goldfish rescued from a church festival, and Esther’s thirst for something real.

Step one: forget about her first love. Step two: make allies. Esther finds them in Jesús from the local coffee bar; a girl named Color who finds beauty in an abandoned video store; Beth, the church choir outcast; and Moss, a boy with alluring possibilities. Step three: confess her secret to those she hopes she can trust. Esther’s new friends do more than just listen. They’re taking Esther one step further.

Together, they hit the road to face Esther’s past head-on. It’s a journey that will lead her to embrace her own truth—in all its glory, pain, and awesomeness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781503903951
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	11/01/2018
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rebekah Crane is the author of several critically acclaimed young adult novels, including The Upside of Falling Down, The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland, Aspen—currently being adapted by Life Out Loud Films—and Playing Nice. She is a former high school English teacher who found a passion for writing young adult fiction while studying secondary English education at Ohio University. She is a yoga instructor and the mother of two girls. After living and teaching in six different cities, Rebekah finally settled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to write novels and work on screenplays. She now spends her days tucked behind a laptop at seventy-five hundred feet, where the altitude only enhances the writing experience. Visit www.rebekahcrane.com, follow the author on Twitter, or like her on Facebook at /authorrebekahcrane.

Editorial Reviews

2018-08-20

Esther Ainsworth's family decides to run away from the problems they blame her for by uprooting themselves from Ohio to the New Mexico desert.

Sixteen-year-old math-obsessed Esther can't quite forget the life she was forced to leave behind for a new one in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, especially since her little sister, Hannah, now hates her. Esther forms a friendship with Color, a red-haired, brown-skinned girl who cleans houses (including Esther's) part time. Color introduces her to "Heaven," a now-closed former Blockbuster franchise where she houses all the discarded items she's liberated from places she's cleaned. There, Esther forges more new friendships—with Moss, Color's brother; Jesús, a Latinx gay boy; and Beth, the science-shirt-wearing lesbian who attends her church. Esther reveals that she had a baby with her South Asian boyfriend, Amit, and was forced by her family to give her up for adoption. Everything is complicated by the fact that Esther's own father isn't in the picture and she is not close to her stepfather (Esther and her family are white). While the healing of Esther and Hannah's broken relationship feels a bit too easily earned, Crane (The Upside of Falling Down, 2018, etc.) has created an organic and dynamic friendship group. Esther's first-person narration, including her framing of existential questions as "Complex Math Problems," is honest and endearing.

A compelling narrative about the power of friendship, faith, self-acceptance, and forgiveness. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

Crane has created an organic and dynamic friendship group. Esther’s first-person narration, including her framing of existential questions as ‘Complex Math Problems,’ is honest and endearing. A compelling narrative about the power of friendship, faith, self-acceptance, and forgiveness.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Crane’s latest is a breezy, voice-driven, and emotional read with a well-rounded cast of characters that walk that fine line between quirky and true to life…The novel stands out for its depiction of the American Southwest...Hand to fans of Jandy Nelson and Estelle Laure.” —Booklist

“[This] journey of self-discovery and new beginnings will resonate with readers seeking answers to life’s big questions.” —School Library Journal

“The Infinite Pieces of Us tells a story of judgement, family, trust, identity, and new beginnings…a fresh take on teenage pregnancy…Crane creates relatable, diverse characters with varying socioeconomic backgrounds and sexualities that remind readers of the importance of getting to know people beyond the surface presentation.” —VOYA

From the Publisher

Lauren Ezzo takes us inside Esther Ainsworth’s mind as she narrates this stream-of-consciousness story. Ezzo’s delivery is an emotionless monotone, although her portrayal of Color, the girl who becomes Esther’s new friend and confidante, does add some feeling to the story. Esther’s stepfather has moved the family from Ohio to New Mexico, hoping Esther can find “salvation” and a fresh start from the haunting, shameful secret he would like to bury. She, on the other hand, would like to uncover the secrets. She wishes life’s problems were as easily solved as the math problems that are her “soulvation” and distraction, but even the math jokes she sprinkles throughout the story fail to pump life into this predictable, cliché-ridden work. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile