Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Kate's journey from selfishness to selflessness and back to the healthy middle path is quietly touching, if not as powerfully moving as it could be. The Dalton Kate discovers is near death and desperately trying to complete work for a final retrospective in New York, forcing a choice between following in her father's footsteps-relinquishing family ties for a chance at fame and professional fulfillment-or doing the right thing by caring for and getting to know Dalton at last, on her own terms. Kate resolves to stay with Dalton, even though her letters asking permission to live with him have gone unanswered. Kate's portfolio and drive have netted her a full-tuition scholarship to art college in Detroit, but housing is not included. In Larch, Kate and her mom eke out a loving if improvident life together in a tiny trailer after being abandoned by Kate's father, celebrated artist Dalton Quinn, years ago.

Kate Tapert is caught between two consuming passions: a drive to capture on canvas the austere beauty of her rural Upper Peninsula hometown of Larch, Mich., and a devotion to her mother.

See What I See by Gloria Whelan