Author(s): Catherine Ryan Hyde

General Fiction

17-year-old Sebastian rides the subway at night to escape his father's strict, possessive parenting. The boy's childhood has been so unusual that he has never eaten pizza, never hung out with kids his own age, never even been to school. His mother died some years ago, or so he's been lead to believe . . . Meanwhile 22-year-old Maria has been living with her violent boyfriend and two young children, desperately trying to keep the peace at home. Maria has just lost her job but, too frightened to confess, she decides to ride the subway when her boyfriend thinks she's at work. She dreads the day her pay check doesn't show up . . . When Sebastian and Maria meet unexpectedly, a strange and wonderful connection is established.

In this beautifully told, heart-warming and funny novel, Catherine Ryan Hyde explores the fine line between loving and possessing, and shows us how two people trapped by life's circumstances can break free.