Summer in the City of Roses

Inspired by the Greek myth of Iphigenia and the Grimm fairytale "Brother and Sister," Michelle Ruiz Keil's second novel follows two siblings torn apart, struggling to find each other in early '90s Portland.

All her life, seventeen-year-old Iph has protected her sensitive younger brother, Orr. But this summer, with their mother gone at an artist residency, their father decides it's time for fifteen-year-old Orr to toughen up at a wilderness boot camp. When he brings Iph to a work gala in downtown Portland and breaks the news, Orr has already been sent away. Furious at his betrayal, Iph storms off and gets lost in the maze of Old Town. Enter George, a dandy who swoops in on a bicycle, bow and arrow at the ready, offering Iph a place to hide out while she figures out how to track down Orr. In the meantime, Orr has escaped the camp and fallen in with The Furies, an all-girl punk band, and moves into the coat closet of their ramshackle pink house. After separate adventures with Shakespeare-quoting street kids, an introduction to sex work activism, and a powerhouse musical debut, Iph and Orr reunite, only to find that a transformation has been set in motion that could fracture their family forever--unless Iph can find a way to stop it.

Summer in the City of Roses is Michelle Ruiz Keil's signature blend of magical realism and the pain and beauty in growing up.