Come as You Are

Jennifer Haupt's sophomore novel combines the pop-culture savvy of High Fidelity and the family drama/psychological intrigue of The Nest and Little Fires Everywhere. This compelling story of discovering love and identity, set in part against the backdrop of Seattle in the early '90s, explores it means to confront the truth about the past in order to create a better future for our children.

Can we alter our dreams and stories from the past to create a better future for our children?


Zane and Skye are two misfit teens drawn together by their love of music and their loneliness, both part of Seattle's grunge scene in the early '90s. They dream of moving to LA together, Zane's music career following the trajectory of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, and Skye drawing Picasso-esque portraits on the Venice Beach boardwalk. When a tragedy violently catapults them from best friends to lovers, their bond is forever strengthened and their relationship destroyed. Ten years later, they must come together as parents, putting aside abandoned dreams and broken promises. The question is, can they face the truth of who they are and become the parents their daughter needs them to be?