My Life After Now

February 11, 2013
In the span of a week, high school junior Lucy Moore’s perfect life has become a disaster. She loves acting and her boyfriend, but loses both of them to a new girl at school. Then Lucy’s birth mother shows up, three years after breaking Lucy’s heart with a disappearing act, and wants to stay with Lucy and her two fathers. To alleviate the heartache and stress, Lucy spends a wild evening at a New York City club, which leads to a one-night stand with a musician; soon after, Lucy discovers she has contracted HIV. Debut author Verdi paints Lucy’s devastation and her tangled emotions with honesty and compassion. The reactions of those in Lucy’s life are believable as well, from a newfound love interest, who shies away from touching her, to the fierce devotion of her fathers, who are ready to fight when Lucy wants to give up. Information about living with HIV is peppered throughout, but Verdi’s novel never preaches, instead telling Lucy’s story with realism and hope. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

March 15, 2013
A now-rarely-discussed topic--a teenager with HIV--receives sensitive but flawed treatment in this debut novel. Lucy's suburban life is picture-perfect: good friends, a boyfriend, a bright future. But when her boyfriend cheats on her, she gets cast as Mercutio rather than Juliet, and her fathers let her pregnant, drug-addict mother stay with them, Lucy decides it's time to be someone else. A night of drinking and dancing at a Manhattan nightclub ends with Lucy going home with a guy and having unprotected sex. Inevitably, Lucy contracts the HIV virus from the encounter. Her diagnosis sends Lucy into a tailspin, through good and bad doctors, a new friend and a new boyfriend. After some struggle, she's gained some hard-won equilibrium, only to be threatened by an old enemy. Lucy's journey toward accepting her diagnosis is realistically handled, complete with highs and lows. There are perhaps too many AIDS statistics interrupting the story, and too many coincidences and pat story elements are present: One unprotected sexual encounter leads to HIV, and a muffed stage sword fight causes Lucy to bleed, among others. It all starts to verge on problem-novel status. Nevertheless, given the strength of Lucy's development and the paucity of novels currently written about suburban teens with HIV, the flaws can be overlooked by readers. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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June 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Lucy is having the worst two weeks in her 16 years. Her longtime boyfriend cheats on her and starts dating her rival, who wins the role of Juliet, which Lucy spent most of the summer rehearsing. Then Lucy's mom arrives unexpectedly and wants to stay with her and her dads. The teen decides that a night out on the town, where she can forget everything, is just what she needs. She and her friends go to New York, where they drink too much, and Lucy goes home with a guy she doesn't know. A month later, when things have sort of calmed down, she realizes that one night could have had severe consequences. She tests positive for HIV, and her life spirals out of control as she tries to hide the reality from her parents and friends. She can't handle the pressure of the disease for long, though, before her secret is out. Although a few elements in this plot seem unrealistic, like her parents' reaction, most ring true. Lucy struggles with the reality of being HIV positive-especially since she doesn't feel sick-and knowing how people will treat her when they find out. There are few books about HIV-positive teenagers, and this is a poignant story. HIV/AIDS resources and facts are appended, along with book discussion questions.-Natalie Struecker, Rock Island Public Library, IL

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