Reggie Mason is only 17-years-old, but she's already figured out the secret to keeping herself safe: nobody can hurt her if she refuses to let them in. But in Whitney Taylor's Definitions of Indefinable Things , out April 4, 2017 from HMH Books For Young Readers, Reggie meets two teens who challenge that worldview for good.
The story begins when Reggie ventures to her small town's CVS to pick up her Zoloft prescription. There, she meets Snake — a slightly cute, Twizzler-guzzling, indie film-making fellow-cynic who's in line for his Prozac refill. She and Snake strike up a friendship, but then she learns his secret: he has a seven-month pregnant ex-girlfriend, Carla Banks. And Carla happens to be the high school Queen Bee and Reggie's ex-childhood friend. Unexpectedly and awkwardly thrown into each other's lives, these three teens embark on a quest to find their happiness. Or at least figure out how to define happiness. And love. And friendship.
"I like to think that Reggie is the pessimist in all of us," author Whitney Taylor tells Bustle. "Skeptical, cynical, and dry-humored, she navigates her small, smothered existence with strength and sarcasm. And Snake... well, he's the optimist. Hopeful and caring, made of passion and heart, with one too many problems and terrible decision-making skills."
"Before I knew what their journey would entail, I knew Reggie and Snake; two opposites that were bound to collide in a colossal way," Taylor says.
Throughout the novel, Reggie rewrites and rethinks the rules of her depression and begins to accept that some people are worth the risk of getting hurt. For Taylor, the decision to tackle depression was deeply personal and rooted in personal trials.
"The book was therapy for me in a time when I desperately needed it," Taylor says. "It was a way to cope with my struggles and convince myself to fight. Depression can be lonely and scary and dark, but I truly believe words and stories bring us hope."
Bustle is proud to exclusively reveal the cover for Whitney Taylor's debut novel, Definitions of Indefinable Things, out next year. See it below:
"The cover captures the heartbeat of the novel," Taylor says. "It's quirky, edgy, and sweet, with the characters — and their unique personalities —illustrated beautifully."
Definitions of Indefinable Things will be available wherever books are sold on April 4, 2017.
