We Come Apart - Softcover

Conaghan, Brian; Crossan, Miss Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408878887 ISBN 13: 9781408878880

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books, 2018

Synopsis

YA stars Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan join forces to break readers' hearts in this contemporary story of star-cross'd lovers. Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn't left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes and ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they're picking up litter in the park for community service. He's so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She's got a lot to hide. Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brought Nicu and his mum here for a better life, but now all they talk about is going back home to find Nicu a wife. The last thing Nicu wants is to get married. He wants to get educated, do better, stay here in England. But his dad's fists are the most powerful force in Nicu's life, and in the end, he'll have to do what his dad wants. As Nicu and Jess get closer, their secrets come to the surface like bruises. The only safe place they have is with each other. But they can't be together, forever, and stay safe - can they? An extraordinary, high-impact, high-emotion collaboration between two stars of YA. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, Rainbow Rowell and John Green.

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. 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 Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1408878887
• ISBN 13: 9781408878880
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 336