bonnie pipkin » The Novel Hermit

“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.

As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long-forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Flatiron Books for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “A Few Thing They Tell You: No food or drink for six hours prior to appointment time.”

When the boy you love abandons you at Planned Parenthood, what do you do? This is exactly what happens to Genesis after she terminates an unwanted pregnancy. She doesn’t understand why her boyfriend, Peter, abandoned her, so she’s left questioning everything that has lead her to that moment—him, her family, her friends, her forgotten Theater dreams.