Three teens are thrown together and find support as a group when they work at a store in their small Alabama town that sells lost airline luggage in this poignant realistic fiction novel that explores a host of difficult issues.
Doris, who is a manager at Unclaimed Baggage and a lifelong resident and misfit in her conservative town instantly recognizes a kindred spirit in Nell, who is newly arrived from Chicago and missing her boyfriend terribly. She hires her and the two quickly become friends, expanding their circle to include Grant, whose anxiety and alcohol use disorders have recently resulted in a car accident that caused his suspension from the school football team, where he had been a star. In alternating narration, the three teens tell both their own backstories and the tale of their burgeoning friendship, including an attraction between Doris and Grant, who have a complicated history with one another. Each of these nuanced characters’ stories are told with compassion and include experiences of mental health concerns, sexual assault and an attack motivated by racism. Things wobble a bit as the novel moves from what seems to be a quirky comedy to something more serious, but not enough to derail this likable, moving story of coming to grips with self and with life’s losses.
High school readers who are fans of authors like John Green, Rainbow Rowell and Maureen Johnson will be a natural audience for this.
Reviewed by Brooke Faulkner, McArthur Public Library, Biddeford