Thanks for the Trouble

Tommy Wallach, the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of the &quot;stunning debut&quot; (<i>Kirkus Reviews</i>, starred review) <i>We All Looked Up</i>, delivers a brilliant new novel about a young man who overcomes a crippling loss and finds the courage to live after meeting an enigmatic girl.<br><br><i>&quot;Was this story written about me?&quot;</i><br> <i>I shrugged.</i><br> <i>&quot;Yes or no?&quot;</i><br> <i>I shrugged again, finally earning a little scowl, which somehow made the girl even </i>more<i> pretty.</i><br> <i>&quot;It's very rude not to answer simple questions,&quot; she said.</i><br> <i>I gestured for my journal, but she still wouldn't give it to me. So I took out my pen and wrote on my palm.</i><br> I can't<i>, I wrote. Then, in tiny letters below it: </i>Now don't you feel like a jerk?<br> <br>Parker Santé hasn't spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he'll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.<br> <br>From the celebrated author of <i>We All Looked Up</i> comes a unique story of first and last loves.