Aftercare instructions - Bonnie Pipkin

'A raw, riveting story of love and family and the strength to stay standing when both begin to crumble. Bonnie Pipkin never flinches, and the result is a novel as powerful as it is essential'. Robin Wasserman

'Aftercare Instructions is a heart wrenching story that will touch and resonate with so many young adult readers'. National Book Award Finalist An Na

Troubled. That's seventeen-year-old Gen according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter, until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate a pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.

As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, the flimsy story of their undying love begins to unravel. But it's when Gen lets go of her past, the one she thinks she knows, that she's able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life.

Pipkin brings us a nuanced and well-developed novel told through the dynamic structure of play and prose. Despite the betrayal, heartbreak and challenges Gen faces Aftercare Instructions is a novel about love, family and ultimately embracing the struggles that help form our identity.