Miles Away From You by A. B. Rutledge (review)

Three years ago, Miles fell in love with Vivian, a creative, talented and witty girl who happened to also be trans. Eighteen months ago Vivian ended up on life support after attempting suicide, and Miles is struggling to find a way to deal with it all; rejecting the help of his mothers, he ends up on a solo trip to Iceland. With the help of Óskar, his small blond guide, enigmatic friend, and love interest, Miles finds that healing sometimes means remembering the past but not living in it, and embracing the beautiful uncertainties of the future. Written as one-way instant messages to Vivian, this title dives into the messiness of life and love. From the text messaging, to use of social media campaigns, to Miles' acute awareness of how documenting his trip could mar the experience, Rutledge accurately captures young people's multimodal presence and the importance of both in-person and digital communities. The complexity of Miles' emotions perfectly complements life's refusal to let up on its brisk stride forward, pushing him, and hopefully readers too, to higher ground and self-actualization. MK