Monoceros

Bullied at school and in love with a boy, Ginger, who wants to end their relationship because of his girlfriend, 17-year-old gay high school student Patrick Furey can't see a way out of his situation, and commits suicide. Mayr's novel examines the repercussions of his death on his Catholic school classmates and administrators. His classmate, Faraday, who is obsessed with unicorns, is shaken to the core, convinced that she could have done something to stop it if she'd been nicer to him. Ginger is devastated. Convinced that his girlfriend Petra was somehow involved with Patrick's death, Ginger cuts off ties with her. Petra, meanwhile, just wants Ginger to love her. The closeted principal, Max, is dating the guidance counselor, Walter, and the suicide causes turmoil in their relationship. Mayr (Venous Hum) has crafted a thoughtful tale examining how the death of one person can have ripple effects even on people who didn't know the deceased. Effectively portraying a range of ages, emotions, genders, and motivations, Mayr quickly engages readers. (Oct.)\t