This Side of Falling

Driven by the charged and complicated relationships surrounding a Chinese-American teen, this spare, lyrical, and thought-provoking debut examines the heartbreaks and imperfections of teen life.

Not real. The mantra seventeen-year-old Nina repeats to herself the morning after her almost-boyfriend, Ethan Travvers, jumped onto the tracks in front of an approaching freight train. Ended everything. The two words that keep the truth just far enough away so she can carry on. Keep up the pretense that loss can’t touch her, grief can’t break her. After all, there is the family image to consider, the illusion of wholeness and success to maintain. It’s everything to Nina’s mom and grandma. But when Nina’s all-star older sister, Carmen, is dismissed from college, her dad’s startup company fumbles, and her parents’ relationship fractures, Nina must face the truth. And it’s not what she wants to believe: about Carmen, about Ethan, but mostly, about herself.