Tower

Nineteen-year-old Lupe has been locked in an apartment complex bathroom since she was a little girl. It's not so bad, really. Her keepers bring her books and magazines, electronic cigarettes, and food. They slip her notes under the bathroom door, and sometimes chat with her through the thick reinforced steel that keeps her locked inside. During the day, Lupe watches her neighbors through the bathroom's small window, reads, and imagines what it would be like to escape to the outside world. She knows she can't leave the bathroom; it wouldn't be safe for anyone. Every night, Lupe's keepers dose her with a strong sedative and restrain her, for their own protection.

But Lupe is beginning to get restless. And her keepers are increasingly nervous and suspicious. Then one sleepless night, Lupe learns why she's been locked away all these years, and everything changes.

Tower is a work of magical realism that blends elements of the Rapunzel fairy tale with Stephen King's Carrie and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. This novella tells a whirlwind coming-of-age tale full of longing, mystery, and delicately-placed gore.