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Broken Pencils

by J. R. Rice

A birthday night in search of meaning

Regular price $15.85 USD
Regular price $26.42 USD Sale price $15.85 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A birthday night in search of meaning

Set between Oakland and San Francisco, *Broken Pencils* centers on Jonah Tarver, a teenager carrying grief over his best friend’s death, conflict at home, and his own mental disorder. His eighteenth birthday and Senior prom become the starting point for a twelve-hour night with his girlfriend, friends, and peers, marked by drugs, alcohol, and rising tensions. The setup brings questions of grief, family strain, friendship, and purpose into a coming-of-age story that places one consequential night at the heart of Jonah’s search for meaning.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in literary coming-of-age fiction.
  • Readers seeking fiction that addresses grief, family conflict, and mental health.
  • Readers interested in stories set around a consequential night in city nightlife.

Themes

Grief and lossFamily conflictMental healthFriendshipSearch for meaning

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents' troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend's death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelve-hour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco's nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point?

 

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