A large cast of characters disappear, reappear, and evolve over the course of 400 pages-most notably Piper’s sister, Marli, who Cagan intimates has more deep-seated mental issues than we first know. While it ostensibly covers well-trod ground in YA fiction (a young artist struggling to become her own person), Cagan tells Piper’s story with amazing authenticity, eschewing a more straightforward story structure in favor of a tale with starts and stops, ebbs and flows. Taking the form of Piper’s diary during the final semester of high school and the arduous summer after, this debut features hand-drawn spot art that brings Piper’s passions to life. Unfortunately, she must juggle news of her acceptance with getting dumped by one best friend, managing the jealousy of another, trying not to get in the way of her perpetually angry, pregnant sister, and the financial implications of her school’s cost on her parents. Piper Perish longs to escape her life in Houston for the excitement of college in New York City, and her ticket out is her amazing visual art.
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