A Slow-Motion Suicide

Lonely tween Robbie teams up with exuberant newcomer Stacey to explore the truths of their claustrophobically small town and the varied cast of characters who inhabit it. A national essay-writing contest kicks off their investigations, and their efforts hone in on the rumors surrounding fifteen-year-old Nathan Klein, who may or may not have killed himself a few years ago.

As they begin their self-imposed mission, the young pair encounter a number of well-known and well-worn types: The uptight mother. The town drunk. The bombastic mayor. But the deeper Stacey and Robbie probe into their town and their fellow residents, the deeper these people are revealed to be and the more three-dimensional they appear to the two amateur journalists. And the deeper they go, the more everyone’s lives come slowly but surely unraveled.