Where You End

Gr 10 Up—The author uses multiple forms of art as a background to this story of a heartbroken girl struggling to find her way back to life and love. Miriam Feldman, avid photographer, has just broken up with brooding musician Elliot. Their relationship was passionate and exclusionary, blocking out everything and everyone else. Now, Miriam is pushing away friends and family as she struggles with depression and a demanding journey of self-rediscovery. She is exhibiting strange behaviors, such as sneaking out in the middle of the night to photograph interiors of stranger's houses and pushing over a Picasso statue on a school field trip. Miriam is determined to keep these actions secret until a mysterious runway girl, Paloma, appears. In exchange for her silence, Paloma tells Miriam to take a picture of Pablo, the brother she left behind. Miriam struggles to balance the forces pushing into her life—her long-time friend, Adam; her parents; and now Paloma. An emotional breakdown forges a reconnection between Miriam and her parents, sparking her to try to find Paloma and convince her to return home. Miriam's passion for art and existential self-exploration will resonate with older teen readers. Sexual situations are present; Pellicioli stresses emotional rather than physical aspects and repercussions. Miriam's struggles with interpersonal relationships are given life through actions instead of author-supplied explanation. Thoughtful descriptions, such as Miriam removing everything from her walls and painting her room a blue-green hue, convey the depth of her emotional turmoil. The conclusion avoids cliche, portraying a young woman surfacing from depression, realizing that growth is a process, not an endpoint.