“Some guys give you the edgy feeling of dogs behind chain-link fences, and some give you the nervousness of high heels you’re not used to.  But Sebastian—he makes me feel like I just buried my nose in warm laundry.”

 “How does a person stay safe, always?  Lock yourself away?  You’re looking for a guarantee and there are no guarantees.  If you love, you’ll feel loss.  You can’t ‘careful’ yourself into avoiding loss.  You’re trying to get day without night.”

 “All the marshmallows without the cereal,” I say.

 “Summer vacation without the school.”

“We can stop now,” I say.

 Abe sighs.  “I was just getting going.”

Author of a National Book Award finalist (Honey, Baby, Sweetheart), Deb Caletti unites the unique and the commonplace in her latest coming-of-age novel. Jade DeLuna struggles to navigate the changing landscape of her relationships with her family and friends during her senior year of high school, while also dealing with panic disorder. This debilitating condition causes her to fear anything new and question her own instincts about what is good for her, and what is dangerous. To calm herself, she visits the zoo and becomes so fascinated by the elephants—and so disgusted with the smallness of her own life—she becomes a volunteer at the elephant house.  Thus begins Jade’s education in animal behavior, and she gradually forms bonds with both the elephants and the people who work at the zoo. When she meets Sebastian, a young father raising his son alone, Jade’s heart wars with her head as she learns how complicated life can be in spite of her caution. With intelligent yet emotion-drenched prose, Caletti expertly weaves a story of humor and pathos featuring a cast of unforgettable, multi-faceted human and animal characters. Along the way, she offers gentle lessons in compassion, growth and change, and the power of love in its many forms.

       My friend Thalia (an amazing YA novelist who sold her first book in the closing days of 2006) called this a "cerebral" story, and it makes sense that I would like it.    About halfway through the book I realized that this is the type of book I would like to write: a well-thought-out plot, beautiful handling of language, sensitivity, and a bit of romance.  You see, it's all about identification.  As I reader, I identified with Jade.  Her fears, her need to connect, her vulnerability, her independence.  And that's what every writer is aiming for, to hook readers into a story, to get them to care about the characters and find something personal in the story, no matter how dissimilar or alike the lives of the fictional people are to the reader's.