These Dreams Which Cannot Last

by Matt Flickinger

High school is tough, especially for freshman Zain Thompson. Ever since tragedy struck his life last year, he can’t figure out what comes next. His mother is silent and his oldest friend has moved on to a new group. Charlotte Hanson wants out of River Valley, Texas. But getting through junior year without totally screwing up her chances of leaving seems impossible. Her goals are disappearing, her grades dropping. Can Charlotte escape the town she’s outgrown, or will she be stuck, like too many of her peers, dreaming without ever leaving? After Zain and Charlotte meet one wild night, will they be able to help each other, or will their relationship drag both of them lower than they already were?
Fans of Eleanor & Park and Althea & Oliver will love this story about loss, identity, and how one friend can change two lives.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Matt is a short fiction writer, a playwright, a poet, and novelist. All of his works deal with people trying to figure things out. He was runner-up in NYC Midnight’s 2016 Short Story Contest. His flash fiction piece “Submerged” was featured in Blue Fifth Review’s 2015 Fall Quarterly. His play “Snow White and the Seven Dudes” has been performed in six countries over the last eight years. When he’s not hunched over his computer writing, Matt is a high school literature and rhetoric teacher. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authentic, touching, and thoughtful depiction of High School struggles today

This thoughtful and sensitive novel is an accurate depiction of life in High School today. All kids need to find their place within the many diverse subcultures the author portrays. Zain and Charlotte are an unlikely pair. Both are damaged, but can bond over common and simple things like running and music. Charlotte is an old soul weary of the "games," but she is renewed and lifted up by the naivety and decency of the wide eyed Freshman boy. The characters are deep and well drawn and heartbreaking. Family members, teachers, team mates, and friends are all authentic. The setting of far West Texas is a character as well. I highly recommend this book to teenagers, teachers, and parents who want a glimpse into this world. Life affirming!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really quiet, well-intended coming of age story that didn't involve telepathic wars, terminal illnesses or unnecessary plot padding. The insights on Zain's relationship with Jackson, his fear of the kitchen, the lack of happy endings for their own sake, to futures that will be or could have been, to the nighttime runs with Charlotte when the world is asleep - everything works incredibly well here.

Matt Flickinger's style was slightly a bit too verbose at times. I had to read the first paragraph several times, for example. I understood what he was saying but cumbersome phrasing and a few typos and run-on sentences pulled me out of the story and were a bit jarring. But the story was just so good that it gets all five stars.

[H. Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the YA genre becoming so heavily reliant on action-packed dystopian landscapes and mortal peril to keep readers' attention, it's hard to find a book that doesn't resort to these tactics to keep the reader engaged and connected. These Dreams Which Cannot Last is just such an understated book, though, and keeps the characters, not plot, central.

Charlotte and Zain's connection doesn't happen under threat of death; they aren't being hunted for sport, and neither has a terminal illness. Instead, their bond grows as they learn to see each other, the way every single YA reader wishes to be seen. It's beautiful, realistic, and relatable, and I found myself, and adult, recalling the simple yet torrential moments of my own teen years in vivid detail.

For teen readers, this book delivers something you'll recognize and relate to, perhaps even something you can aspire to create in your own life.

For adult readers, this book is a beautiful walk down memory lane and possibly a return to who you were before you trained yourself to play adult.

Well done, Flickinger!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flickinger's book is reminiscent of Perks of Being a Wallflower to me-- a boy just starting to grow up in the midst of loss. Zain is a character that many high school students will identify with, and reading it as a mother myself made my heart break thinking about how essential it is for teenagers to be validated and supported. For that reason, I loved the introduction of his Aunt Mellie, and I felt strangely protective over him as he embarked on his first romantic relationship with Charlotte... (she's cool, I know, but he's so vulnerable!) All in all, it's a solid view into the American middle class high school experience that may be eye-opening for some.