Get ready to fall for Iphigenia Murphy.

I started to rush through this book, but quickly realized that Iffy deserved my full attention. Her story is tremendous and heartbreaking. Perfect for fans of Eleanor & Park and Where I Live.

Be prepared for some tears with this book. It’s not pretty. Iphigenia has a lot of rough moments, but her big heart is so full of strength and goodness. My daughter is the same age as Iffy, and it devastates me to even imagine her being in a situation like this.

“There are some girls that nobody looks for. Turns out, I was one of those girls.” ~Iphigenia Murphy

There are girls like Iphigenia in your world right now. You might not realize it, but there are kids in your community who struggle with abuse or neglect. There are young women who hide their injuries, their pain, and their dreams. I hope you’ll take a moment to notice them when they cross your path.

Enter the Instagram giveaway, too!

Iphigenia Murphy

by Sara Hosey
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: March 10th 2020

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis:

Running away from home hasn’t solved Iphigenia Murphy’s problems. In fact, it’s only a matter of time before they’ll catch up with her. Iffy is desperate to find her long-lost mother, and, so far, in spite of the need to forage for food and shelter and fend off an unending number of creeps, living in Queens’ Forest Park has felt safer than living at home. But as the summer days get shorter, it all threatens to fall apart.

A novel that explores the sustaining love of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and the indelible bond of family, Iphigenia Murphy captures the gritty side of 1992 Queens, the most diverse borough in New York City. Just like Iffy, the friends she makes in the park–Angel, a stray dog with the most ridiculous tail; Corinne, a young trans woman who is escaping her own abusive situation; and Anthony, a former foster kid from upstate whose parents are addicts–each seek a place where they feel at home. Whether fate or coincidence has brought them together, within this community of misfits Iffy can finally be herself, but she still has to face the effects of abandonment and abuse–and the possibility that she may be pregnant. During what turns out to be a remarkable journey to find her mother, will Iffy ultimately discover herself?

About the Author

Sara Hosey holds a PhD in American literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is an associate professor of English and women and gender studies at Nassau Community College. Her book, Home Is Where the Hurt Is: Media Depictions of Wives and Mothers (McFarland, 2019), looks at representations of the domestic in popular culture. Sara grew up in Queens and now lives in Sea Cliff, New York, with her partner and their children. She is working on a second novel.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: https://sarahosey.com/home/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7273735.Sara_Hosey