A coming of age undone is the earmark of Erica Lorraine Scheidt’s stunning and explosive debut novel, Uses For Boys.
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna’s new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can’t know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.
Scheidt has written a raw, emotionally-packed saga of one young woman’s journey from childhood to adulthood. Anna’s path is rocky and uncertain, as she struggles to find an identity in a world of shattered relationships and broken people.
Scheidt employs a beautifully stark writing style that oozes with raw emotion. Every word sucks you into Anna’s broken world and keep you reading well past your bedtime. I’ll confess, I powered through this book without even realizing it because it was so compelling and engaging.
Uses For Boys is a quiet little book that will soon be on everyone’s radar. It’s just that beautiful and brilliantly written. So get ahead of the curve and check out Uses For Boys now, and be in on what will surely be one of the next darlings of YA lit.
Uses For Boys is in stores January 15th.
Novel Novice 