Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: The shoving of Janet and Derek into harsh realities they can’t avoid provides the best conflict and most entertaining parts of the book. Reading their slow turns to necessity to fix their lives becomes intriguingly agonizing and then cathartic.
Prose: Much of the book is spent with Janet in psychiatric sessions with Derek, yet even this is well-paced and engaging. The duo's repartee is always deftly rendered and fuels the novel’s forward motion.
Originality: Despite familiar elements, this novel feels fresh. Jonuska flips the trope of the solid mentor/flawed student on its head.
Character Development: Both Janet and Derek are fully developed, vivid characters. Readers will be invested in them and their story.
Date Submitted: August 27, 2017
