An acclaimed poet deepens her exploration of the domestic in a new collection of playful, wise, and humorous poemsThe poems in Carrie Fountain's third collection, The Life, exist somewhere, as Rilke says, between "our daily life" and "the great work"—an interstitial space where sidelong glances live alongside shouts to heaven. In elegant, colloquial language, Fountain observes her children dressing themselves in fledgling layers of personhood, creating their own private worlds and personalities, and makes room for genuine marvels in the midst of routine. Attuned to the delicate, fleeting moments that together comprise a life, these poems offer a guide by which to navigate the signs and symbols, and to pilot if not the perfect life, the only life, the life we are given.

"Carrie Fountain's YA novel is part-plot-twisty thriller, part-sweet romance, and perfect for summer reading!" —Bustle, Best YA Book of JulyIt's senior year, and Miranda Black's best friend, Syd, has run away—suddenly and inexplicably, leaving behind nothing but a pink leopard print cell phone with a text message from the mysterious HIM. Everyone wants to know why Syd left, but the truth is, Miranda has no idea. When Miranda's mother abandoned her as a child, Miranda had found shelter in her friendship with Syd, who wore her own motherlessness like a badge of honor. Now Miranda's been left behind again, left to untangle the questions of why Syd left, where she is—and if she's even a friend worth saving, all while stumbling into first love with the most unlikely boy in school. How do you take on the future when it feels like so much of your past wasn't even real?