THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE SHORTLIST From the PEN/Robert W Bingham Prize finalist whose short stories received instant acclaim Sparingly told evoked with lacerating intimacy ExtraordinaryEsquire a debut novel about a young womans coming of age and the singular friendship that challenges her values her beliefs and the course of her life
At sixteen Eva meets Jamie by chance She lives in middleclass south Brooklyn he comes from the super rich of upper Manhattan Shes observant cautious often insecure hes curious bold full of mysteries These two questers are drawn together in a strange and profound friendship tested by forces larger than themselves As Eva follows a path of conventional achievementa prestigious degree a classic romance the start of an ambitious careerJamie seeks out more radical experiments in finding himself renouncing his family joining a political movement and eventually even talking to God
Carried forcefully along by Clare Sestanovichs exquisite prose these two characters are pulled into separate spheres but circle the same questions how to define their values and find their purpose how to create a sense of self while discovering what they owe to society and to the cause of justice These reckonings propel a surprising story of intimacy across time exploring the alchemy of identity the mystery of destiny and the difficult journey of finding faithin yourself and in the world
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