I'LL MEET YOU THERE

Gritty, romantic, and ultimately hopeful, the story of two teens who live on the fringes—and their completely screwed-up, maddening, and weirdly endearing lives.

In a humble, working-class town, an unlikely summer romance haltingly grows between Sklyer, an artistic soul who is about to leave this sad, dead-end place to make her dreams come true, and Josh, a young war veteran who has returned home an amputee. Teens here grow up fast, drinking young, having babies early, and working whatever job they can get. Skyler is a rare one—a dreamer, a good girl. Just graduated from high school, Skyler is working her two jobs at the gas station and at the Paradise Motel. But she’s counting down three months of summer until the day she leaves her hometown behind and starts a new life in art school in San Francisco.… Until, at one of the usual weekend parties, where everyone is drinking and making out (except for Skyler), she runs into Josh. Josh left town as a Marine in uniform, and now he’s back, a 19-year-old wounded war veteran. Suffering from the physical and emotional memories of war, Josh is trying to figure out what to do with his life. He lost his leg in an explosion, but even as an amputee, he is still a local god, with every guy wanting to be his buddy and every girl wanting to be his girl—even if it’s just for one night. But Skyler is not looking for one night—she’s a virgin and doesn’t even believe that she can find the right person in her hometown. Josh before the war was way out of her league, and Josh after the war… well, he’s not the same. But that’s exactly what draws these two together. Told in three parts (June, July, August), the story is narrated mostly from Skyler’s point of view. But we discover Josh’s story too, in small excerpts from the diary that he writes for his therapy group. He writes as if he were talking to one of his buddies who died in the same explosion that took Josh’s leg. We see these characters struggle with their desires, family responsibilities, and the frustrations of feeling trapped by the world around them—both looking for healing and a moment of connection. In creating this unconventional teen love story, Heather Demetrios introduces her readers to characters whose worlds may be very unfamiliar, but their emotional journey will surely resonate. Heather Demetrios was inspired to write this story by the military veterans in her own family. She did in-depth research and interviews to understand the trauma of returning from war and the real-life amputee experience. Heather Demetrios is the recipient of a PEN New England Discovery Award for Something Real. She is the author of Exquisite Captive, a smoldering fantasy series about jinni (Balzer + Bray, September 2014). Heather received her MFA in writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts.Please visit www.heatherdemetrios.com