We Come Apart - Softcover

Crossan, Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408878860 ISBN 13: 9781408878866

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2017

Synopsis

From two acclaimed authors comes an emotional story told in verse about friendship, love, and overcoming unbeatable odds.Authors Brian Conaghan and Sarah Crossan have joined forces to tell the story of Nicu and Jess, two troubled teens whose paths cross in the unlikeliest of places.Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home. Meanwhile, Jess's home life is overshadowed by violence. When Nicu and Jess meet, what starts out as friendship grows into romance as the two bond over their painful pasts and hopeful futures. But will they be able to save each other, let alone themselves?For fans of Una LaMarche’s Like No Other, this illuminating story told in dual points of view through vibrant verse will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Crossan has lived in Dublin, London and New York, and now lives in Hertfordshire. She graduated with a degree in philosophy and literature before training as an English and drama teacher at Cambridge University. She received the 2016 CILIP Carnegie Medal for her astonishing novel One, which also won the YA Book Prize,CBI Book of the Year Award and the CliPPA Poetry Award. Since completing a masters in creative writing, she has been working to promote creative writing in schools. http://www.sarahcrossan.com/ @SarahCrossan Brian Conaghan was born and raised in the Scottish town of Coatbridge but now lives in Dublin. He has a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. For many years Brian worked as a teacher and taught in Scotland, Italy and Ireland. His novels include The Boy Who Made it Rain, published in 2011, When Mr Dog Bites which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2015, attracted both praise and controversy for its honest, moving and humorous depiction of a teenage boy with Tourette's syndrome and The Bombs That Brought Us Together, published in 2016 to critical acclaim.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Niku is a Romanian immigrant who is constantly bullied by his classmates. His parents temporarily came to England so they could make enough money for Niku to find a suitable wife before returning to Romania. Jess is rebellious at school, and at home, she is forced to witness—and often videotape—her mother's physical and verbal abuse by her mother's boyfriend. Following their separate arrests for shoplifting, the two teens form an unexpected bond during their mandated community service, with each trying to protect the other. Told in verse through alternating viewpoints, this is a powerful novel about how friendship and love are sometimes not enough to ensure a happy-ever-after ending. Each character has a distinct voice and way of looking at the world. Niku's chapters reflect his unfamiliarity with the English language, and through his observations, readers see him struggle to express himself clearly, especially to the other students and adults who are already judging him. Jess's verses have a sharper edge to them and are very matter-of-fact, particularly when describing her interactions with her mother's boyfriend. The conclusion, which doesn't wrap up definitively, feels authentic and may lead readers to think about the characters' futures. VERDICT A fast-paced and memorable story that will resonate with teens. A strong choice for most YA shelves.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1408878860
• ISBN 13: 9781408878866
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 326