Hello? by Liza M. Wiemer
Spencer Hill Contemporary/October 2015
Goodreads
Late one night, in a moment of deep grief, Tricia places a call to her deceased grandmother’s old phone number. She expects the disconnect notice, but is thrown when another teen— also up late and coping with his own frustrations—answers. It’s Emerson, and though they’re perfect strangers, Tricia senses an unexplainable, deeper connection between them.
When his phone rings, Emerson expects it to be his sometimes-overbearing girlfriend Angie, but instead ends up transfixed by Tricia’s tenderness and heartache. The two make a pact, thus setting the events of HELLO? in motion.
HELLO? is the story of five small town Wisconsin teens: Tricia, who has lost her family and is trying to find her way; her over-protective boyfriend Brian, a potter; the perfectionist Emerson; his girlfriend, the insecure and unpredictable Angie; and her tough best friend Brenda, an aspiring actress and screenwriter.
Told from all five viewpoints: narration (Tricia), narration (Emerson), free verse poetry (Angie), screenplay format (Brenda), narration and drawings (Brian), HELLO? offers a textured account of five lives and weaves together the stories of these teens into a compelling narrative of serendipity and a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.
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