The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. By the end, readers understand how heroin can infiltrate even the most promising lives.Ī cautionary tale that exposes the danger of prescription medications by humanizing one victim of America’s current epidemic. Even more frightening are the descriptive passages that reveal how pleasant the drugs make her feel.

The writing is visceral, and following Mickey as she rationalizes about her addiction is educative and frightening. Realistic depictions of heroin abuse abound, and the author includes a trigger warning. What matters are the details-the lying, the stealing, the fear about college scholarships, the pain confronted in the weight room, and the desperate desire to win-because they force the reader to empathize with Mickey’s escalating need. From the novel’s opening line, the reader awaits the tragic outcome. After enduring surgeries, they are each given opioid painkillers, yet only Mickey spirals into addiction.

Mickey’s divorced parents and Carolina’s tightknit Puerto Rican family are rooting for them to recover before the start of the season. The next moment her car is upside down in a field, and their promising softball careers are in danger. One moment star catcher Mickey Catalan, who is assumed white, is living an ordinary life, talking about boys and anticipating a winning season with her best friend, pitcher Carolina Galarza. A compassionate, compelling, and terrifying story about a high school softball player’s addiction to opioids.Ī promising life can be upended in a minute.

The last laugh by mindy mcginnis