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Published Jan 2012
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Two Sisters: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. - if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.
Three Young Men: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.
One Agonizing Choice: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good - the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for.
Irises is Francisco X. Stork's most provocative and courageous novel yet.
Ages 14+
"Stork demonstrates his customary skill in creating memorable and multidimensional characters in a story that leaves lingering, contemplative questions regarding death, survival, and love." - Publishers Weekly
"They find no easy answers, nor will the reader, but watching them navigate all of these issues is insightful, instructive, and rewarding." - Booklist
"Although Irises covers deep topics, its slow, graceful pace never feels ponderous or overwhelming." - School Library Journal
"At times the family dynamics and symbolism seem forced, but there is plenty of poignancy in questions of faith that are raised." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about Irises was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Francisco X. Stork is the author of Marcelo in the Real World, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Teens and the Once Upon a World Award, and The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, which was named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Teens list. He lives near Boston with his wife. Learn more online at www.franciscostork.com.
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