What is it about : Throughout Emory’s life, she was told who she was – people in town, who know her as the rich girl, great-great-granddaughter of the founder of the town factory, and people at school, who only know her as “the younger sister of hot Maddie Ward”. Even at home, she cannot escape the perception others have of her, as her parents always think she is the good one compared to her older brother, Joey, who is a drug addict. Emmy spends a lot of time covering up for Joey and his drug addiction, but no one knows how bad his problem is until they have a car accident together, resulting in the death of a child and revealing the extent of the problem. Joey’s drug problem. , eventually causing their parents to send him to rehab. Four months later, Joey came home from rehab, but rehab may not have fixed everything. As Joey slips back into his old ways, so does Emmy, continuing to cover for him and pour all of her time and energy into his recovery, so much so that she worries she’ll get lost along the way.
How it compares: In Euphoria, we see the difficult and heartbreaking relationship between Rue and his little sister Gia, with whom his relationship is strained because of his drug use. Like Gia, in this book, Emmy is the younger sister, caring for her drug-addicted older brother, Joey. She’s there for many traumatic moments brought on by her drug use, and we watch a younger sibling get lost in the pain of an older sibling’s addiction. This book gives us a little taste of how Gia might feel as the loving brother of a struggling drug addict, especially one who has already been through a stint in rehab. Euphoria fans will enjoy this book for the intense sibling relationships, chaotic family dynamics, and explorations of nonlinear sobriety.
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