Holding Up the Universe

Description

Libby returns to high school while grieving her mother’s death and trying to support her heartbroken father. Classmates reduce her to her weight, but she intends to pursue friendship, romance, and a fuller life on her own terms. Jack seems socially confident, yet he secretly has prosopagnosia: he cannot reliably recognize faces, including those of his family, and depends on elaborate strategies to conceal it. Their paths collide when a cruel school game results in counseling and community service. Alternating between their perspectives, the novel follows the wary connection that develops as each recognizes how thoroughly the other has been misjudged. Their relationship becomes a test of whether honest attention can overcome shame, defensive performance, and the labels imposed by others.

Themes