About this item
In her debut novel, award-winning poet Brynne Rebele-Henry re-imagines the epic of Orpheus as a love story between two teen girls in rural Texas. Abandoned by a single mother she never knew, 16-year-old Raya - obsessed with ancient myths - lives with her grandmother in a small conservative Texas town. For years Raya has fought to hide her feelings for her best friend and true love, Sarah. When the two are outed, they are sent to Friendly Saviors: a re-education camp meant to "fix" them and make them heterosexual. Upon arrival, Raya vows to assume the role of Orpheus, to return to the world of the living with her love - and after she, Sarah, and the other teen residents are subjected to abusive "treatments" by the staff, Raya only becomes more determined to escape.
About the Author
Brynne Rebele-Henry's poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have appeared in such journals as Prairie Schooner, Denver Quarterly, jubilat, Fiction International, Rookie, and So to Speak, among other places. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the 2015 Louise Louis/Emily F. Bourne Poetry Award from the Poetry Society of America, the 2016 Adroit Prize for Prose, and a 2017 Glenna Luschei Award from Prairie Schooner. Her first book Fleshgraphs appeared with Nightboat Books in 2016. Her second book, Autobiography of a Wound, won the 2017 AWP Donald Hall Poetry Prize and appeared with the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2018. Her first novel, Orpheus Girl, is forthcoming with Soho Teen. She is represented by Vicky Bijur Literary Agency.