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Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden
Eighteen-year-old Bea runs from her small-town Texas home and meets Lou who is taking a road trip to cope with the grief of losing her mother. Along the way they pick up a mysterious stray cat and vow to bring it home, to a Texas town that may not even exist. They soon find themselves in strange places and chased by menacing men who are after the cat and its hidden powers. As the two grow to trust one another, personal truths are revealed.
Review from School Library Journal:
"When something horrible happens, or something amazing…it makes you feel like mountains could shatter, or the sky could disappear." Eighteen-year-old Bea is on the run. Life at home has become more dangerous than attempting to make it in the world alone. After missing her bus, she is connected with Lou, a family acquaintance who invites Bea to hitch a ride with her out of town. Inside the intimate confines of Lou's car, the tension between the two is palpable, as neither wishes to explain her reasons for leaving town. But they soon discover a lost cat and resolve to return it home to a town in Texas that isn't on the map. As the two travel across the mystical landscape of West Texas, truths as harsh and stark as the Texas terrain come to light. Walden deftly explores weighty subjects within the deceptively simple road trip narrative; Bea's experiences with sexual assault by a family member are revealed, with Walden's surreal artwork and lettering reflecting Bea's distraught, disoriented feelings.
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