All the Major Constellations
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3.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
When you're about to face the world, who do you turn to?
Andrew is leaving high school behind and looking ahead to a fresh start at college and distance from his not-so-secret infatuation: Laura Lettel. But when a terrible accident leaves him without the companionship of his two best friends, Andrew is cast adrift and alone—until Laura unexpectedly offers him comfort, friendship, and the support of a youth group of true believers, fundamentalist Christians with problems and secrets of their own. Andrew is curiously drawn to their consuming beliefs, but why? Is it only to get closer to Laura? And is Laura genuinely interested in Andrew, or is she just trying to convert him?
This provocative and compelling debut novel will resonate deeply with readers as it explores questions of identity, sexuality, and spirituality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A life-changing tragedy just before high school graduation leaves Andrew without the support of his two best friends as he faces a lonely summer navigating his family's alcoholic dysfunction. Newcomer Cranse deftly portrays Andrew's confused attempts to cope; the phrase "moving through darkness" repeats throughout the book. His longing for a place to belong leaves him unexpectedly open to new relationships, particularly with Laura, an enigmatic girl he has adored for years. The novel's sympathetic portrayal of Laura's fundamentalist Christian youth group captures familiar cliques and rivalries inherent in any teenage gathering, and respectfully conveys the members' varied and complex religious experiences (most compellingly that of John, "a born-again surfer-dude warrior on the cover of a fantasy book," whose faith condemns his sexual orientation). As Andrew, despite his agnosticism, participates in Bible studies, soup kitchens, conversations, and hikes, he wonders about personal experiences that feel surprisingly spiritual: "he'd felt he didn't know another way to describe it moved." Set in her native Vermont, Cranse's compassionate debut astutely conveys the joys, heartaches, and angst of coming-of-age. Ages 14 up.
