Dear Fang, With Love
When seventeen-year-old Vera has a breakdown at a high school party, her father, Lucas, decides to take her far away from her normal routine for the summer. When they arrive in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, Lucas and Vera become immersed in the medieval city's history and culture — and form fast friendships with the others in their tourist group. As Vera struggles with her homesickness and the knowledge of her new mental health diagnosis, Lucas tries to bond with his impetuous daughter and track down the truth about his Lithuanian relatives.
Filled with humor and chaos, Dear Fang, With Love is a perfect portrait of a family dealing with long-buried secrets and terrifying new realities.
Quote:
"I had already framed Vilnius in my mind as a liminal place, a portal between East and West, but also, as Darius had mentioned, a portal between the living and the dead, and I didn't like the idea of crossing the river into Užupis. It made me think of the River Styx. But the River Vilnia was narrow and picturesque, not haunting or misty, and the bridge railings were bristling with love locks. It was a custom around there, Darius told us, for young couples to have their initials engraved on a lock, which they attached to the bridge, and then together they would throw the key into the river. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of locks on the bridge, covering every bar of the railing."
Author:
Rufi Thorpe is the author of The Girls from Corona del Mar and Dear Fang, With Love. She lives in California.
Published: 2016
Length: 303 pages
Main Setting: Vilnius, Lithuania
Secondary Setting: California, United States