Under this Forgetful Sky

Gr 9 Up–When 16-year-old Rumi’s father becomes infected with an unknown strain of a deadly virus while on government business, the teen breaks the law and ventures outside the armored walls of St. Iago in search for a cure. As he travels he meets Paz, a girl working for the Library in Paraíso as a scout, gathering data and items for them every day. Secretly, Paz finds she shares many of the beliefs of Las Oscuras, the group responsible for infecting Rumi’s father, and joins them, agreeing to accompany and keep an eye on Rumi on her first mission for them. As they journey together to find a curandera who may hold a cure, Rumi finds that the people outside the walls are not as they’ve been portrayed in the Upper City, and Paz begins to discover her own truths, both growing feelings for one another that will change the direction of their lives drastically. Set in a futuristic Chile where the people of St. Iago use specs to hide what the world truly looks like and those outside struggle to survive, Yero’s novel is a love story, adventure tale, and science fiction work that reflects actions and events in our present world, causing readers to reflect inwardly and on the world around.