Maybe We’re Electric

New Jersey’s Thomas Edison Center might not seem like the best place to wait out a snowstorm, but two teens bond there after hours in Emmich’s (Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel) quirky book about the power of honesty and forgiveness—and the temptations of internet anonymity. When the storm starts, neither Tegan Everly nor Mac Durant want to go home. Presumed-white museum employee Tegan, who was born with two fingers on her left hand, has had a huge fight with her mother; white golden boy Mac Durant is worried about and angry with his father, who habitually drinks. They’re sophomores at the same school, but self-conscious Tegan assumes that they’ll have nothing in common. The two grow closer as Tegan shows off the Edison exhibits and the two begin revealing themselves; as she learns about Mac’s seemingly perfect life, Tegan realizes how false that is and how uncomfortable she feels about some of the things she’s done. Emmich uses second-person interludes and Tegan’s emails to her father to show how much Tegan has on her mind; it makes for an effective slow reveal that puts readers in the complex—and human—position of liking someone whose behavior is problematic. Ages 14–up. Agents: Jeff Kleinman and John Cusick, Folio Literary. (Sept.)