What Goes Up

How do you forgive yourself—and the people you love—when a shocking discovery leads to a huge mistake? Acclaimed author Christine Heppermann’s novel-in-verse tackles betrayals and redemption among family and friends with her signature unflinching—but always sharply witty—style. For fans of Elana K. Arnold, Laura Ruby, and A. S. King.

When Jorie wakes up in the loft bed of a college boy she doesn’t recognize, she’s instantly filled with regret. What happened the night before? What led her to this place? Was it her father’s infidelity? Her mother’s seemingly weak acceptance? Her recent breakup with Ian, the boy who loved her art and supported her through the hardest time of her life?

As Jorie tries to reconstruct the events that led her to this point, free verse poems lead the reader through the current morning, as well as flashbacks to her relationships with her parents, her friends, her boyfriend, and the previous night.

With Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty and Ask Me How I Got Here, Christine Heppermann established herself as a vital voice in thought-provoking and powerful feminist writing for teens. Her poetry is surprising, wry, emotional, and searing. What Goes Up is by turns a scorchingly funny and a deeply emotional story that asks whether it’s possible to support and love someone despite the risk of being hurt. Readers of Laura Ruby, E. K. Johnston, Elana K. Arnold, and Laurie Halse Anderson will find a complicated heroine they won’t soon forget.

What happens when art is the only way to tell the truth?
A Powerful Novel-in-Verse: Told through searing free verse poems, Jorie’s story unfolds through flashbacks and a hazy morning-after as she pieces together one huge mistake.Art as a Coping Mechanism: Jorie channels her turmoil into unique mushroom spore prints, turning her anger over her father’s affair into deeply personal art.A Complicated Heroine: Witty, emotional, and unflinching, Jorie is a protagonist who makes massive mistakes while grappling with how to forgive the people she loves—and herself.Family Betrayal: An honest look at the fallout from a parent’s infidelity, the messy bonds of friendship, and a recent breakup that still aches.