Tony is a Reno street-kid. Sexually abused by one of his mother's lovers as a small child, Tony turns to life on the street
and drugs. He sells his body to score his daily fix, until he finds himself an AIDS-infected sugar-daddy. When his benefactor, his one true friend ever in his life, dies, Tony once again turns to pills, but this time to overdose.
Vanessa is a military brat who is sent to live with her grandmother when her mother's bi-polar disorder takes a turn for the worse. Vanessa is a cutter, and also has bi-polar disorder, although undiagnosed. When she finds her mother in an overdose-induced stupor, Vanessa once again turns to cold, hard steel to ease her pain and the fear of what is to come.
Conner is the high-achieving son of a well-to-do Reno family. After his sexual relationship with his English teacher hits the skids, Conner attempts to kill himself by putting a bullet in his heart.
All three of these young adults have been admitted to Reno's
Aspen Springs after their failed suicide attempts. They are there to heal - both mind and body, - to receive counseling and medication, and to learn how to cope with the outside world once they are released.
I really didn't think I would like this book. I am not a poetry reader and this book is written in first person prose - each character telling his or her story within a poem-like structure. I was, however, captivated by this book. I found I could not put it down, and, when
finished, was left with the feeling of having finished a true work of art. I wouldn't have changed a thing.