Life: An Exploded Diagram

Clem, a working-class boy living in government-assisted housing, and Frankie, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, must keep their relationship secret. If it’s discovered, their world will be blown apart. But unknown to them, President John F. Kennedy and the Russian leader, Nikita Khruschev, are shaping up to do just that - blow the world apart - as the two leaders fight over a small island in the Caribbean Sea, leading up to the events that will later be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. For Frankie and Clem, “time, like everything else, is against them.” In his most brilliant and ambitious novel yet, Mal Peet portrays the shattering power of love and the ricocheting effect of war through generations.