Gr. 9-12 Fifteen-year-old JL (Jean Louise), named after author Jean-Louis “Jack” Kerouac, is wrapped in a chrysalis of confusion and unease. Her father left on business over a year ago. Her mother, suffering from dissociative disorder, writes letters to long-dead Kerouac, whom her grandmother once kissed in a restaurant. Mostly, JL feels abandoned by her longtime confidante and bestie, Aubrey, who has embraced new girlfriends that whisper about JL’s relationship with her older boyfriend, Max. In truth, JL is drawn to Max like a moth to a flame. To quell her complicated emotions, JL seeks comfort in raising exotic butterflies, whose fragility and capacity for metamorphosis reflect JL’s own transformation. [Read More]
When Loose Ends Meet 