The Chaos of Standing Still

Starred review from September 25, 2017
For months 18-year-old Ryn has been struggling to accept the car crash that killed her best friend Lottie. As the anniversary of the event draws near, an anxious and withdrawn Ryn plans to spend the day at home, far from other people. Instead she gets stranded at a crowded airport during a blizzard. Spanning less than 24 hours, Brody’s psychologically taut novel examines the internal and external crises of a grieving teen who is unable to express her emotions. Haunted by images and the voice of vibrant, capricious Lottie, who had always been her guide, Ryn just wants to find a place to hide but is distracted by strangers: a child genius who needs her to pretend that she’s his sister, a sassy waitress who invites her to a party, and a teenage boy who coaxes her out of her shell and inspires her to take a hard look at herself and the friend she has lost. Absorbing from first page to last, Brody’s novel gradually unveils Ryn’s complicated history and celebrates her most profound moments of truth. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.