Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst (review)

Since Sam's father left, Sam's mother's OCD has started to consume both of their lives, and Sam retreats into her art, which attracts the attention of Zoe, a girl who is hiding her own problems from her closest friends. The girls enter into a texting relationship through which they build a sci-fi/fantasy world; there they can escape Zoe's sadness about her mother's cancer and the family's reluctant but necessary decision to institutionalize her disabled brother and the stifling rules imposed by Sam's mom's disorder. Things fall apart when Sam mistakes Zoe's open-hearted affection for romantic attraction; both girls are devastated by a kiss that leaves Sam feeling mortified and rejected while Zoe feels guilty, unhappy, and lonely for the best friend she's ever had. Sam's and Zoe's alternating narration fleshes out two distinct characters—one trying to remain emotionally closed off, while the other is empathetically attuned to family needs—though both have finely tuned ears for imagistic, lyrical prose. The world they build through texting is creative and engaging, reflective of the skill sets of an accomplished RPG storyteller. Sensitively attentive to the walls teens erect between their family life and their school personae, as well as to the misunderstandings that emerge when people have different approaches to and understandings of emotional expression, this portrayal of two very different girls finding common ground will resonate with people of various identities, cliques, and fandoms. KC