Aging Out

by L. Lee Shaw

Myron is a member of the town's notorious criminal family. Soosie tried to kill her sister. Adam was thrown away by his family. The only thing they have in common is they are all wards of the state currently housed in a group home, and they are all seventeen. When they no longer qualify for the state's protection at eighteen, they will be dumped out of the system, regardless of where they might end up. To provide a small handhold when they are on their own; the trio is assigned to work at a geriatric care center. There they meet another group teetering on an uncertain future. Can young and old reach across the generational gap to pull each other to safety?

234 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Elizabeth Gilbert in her fabulous book, Big Magic, says that the story seeks the writer whose job is to bring it into existence. This was absolutely the case with Love Imperfect. I had just finished a YA novel and delivered into the hands of my editor. My immediate plans were to clean up the office which always disintegrates in chaos in the last stages of completing a novel and give my brain a break. Instead, I woke up to Mya and Colton peering over the end of my bed. Going about the morning chores, I realized I knew their story and they were very insistent it be pulled out of the ether and digitized. I begged enough time to clear out my previous book and then dove into their tale.

Summer turned to fall. Gardens were harvested, winter hay was stacked, wood cut, and all manner of seasonal farm work addressed, much of it by rote as my ear was always turned towards them. Finally, I typed “The End” minutes before pulling the Thanksgiving Day pies out of the oven. The couple still had a lot of future ahead of them, but my part in it was done.

Love Imperfect was written in a ramshackle farm house in the Cascade foothills of Oregon where it sits hard on a back country road overrun with log trucks and livestock trailers. Inside an office tucked under dormers, this author has written four novels, including the award winning YA, Aging Out. Learn more at www.bohobooks.com

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little story about three teens who are about to age out of the "system" and the experiences they have when they are sent to work at a home that cares for seniors in need of assistance. There are a lot of issues explored in the book, from teens struggling to make their way in an often hostile world to elderly folks grappling with the ravages of getting older in a society that often lacks an adequate support system.

I found parts of the story a little unconvincing (the teens are way too willing to jump right in when asked to do things like bathe and change some of the seniors at the center), but overall the story was appealing and made for some good end-of-the day reading before bed.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense story

Three children getting out of the system, out of a group home and are now on their own. The story is well written, and very dramatic, especially for this trio, trying to make it on their own. Shaw weaves a great story, full of grit and details that keeps the reader turning the pages. It only intensifies when the trio meet an older group of people, in the Geriatric Care center where they now work. It's a journey for both generations, and adventuring into the unknown of the future. The characters had depth and each their own backstory, which was told to the audience before the story gets moving.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a goodreads giveaway.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love good realistic fiction. Aging out is well written and I enjoyed how the characters were fleshed out and their interactions with one another.