Essential Maps for the Lost by Deb Caletti - OPTIONAL

Caletti, Deb Essential Maps for the Lost, 325 pages. Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). 2016. $17.99. Language: R (274 swears, 56 "f"); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

In the aftermath of his mother's suicide, Billy Youngwolf Floyd is desperately trying to cope with his loss and function day to day.  Working at a dog shelter, Billy finds solace in the innocent animals he is able to save.  Maddison Murray is fighting a battle of her own.  Sent to finish real estate school and join her mother's business, Mads is struggling with anxiety and depression stemming from her recent discovery of a local suicide victim and her mothers unrelenting expectations.  Mads' depression increases as she becomes obsessed with the life of the woman she found.  Struggling with inner turmoil and a wish to escape their circumstances, Mads and Billy find that even a broken life is a life worth fighting for.  

This is a heart-wrenching look at two lives irrevocably changed by loss.  First, the loss of a loved one through suicide and second the loss of a life of your own due to parental expectations.  It is a story packed with emotion and the very real struggles of learning to cope with mental health issues.  

HS -OPTIONAL. Gina, Media Specialist