Understory

(Hardback)

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Description

Story Easton knows the first line of every book, but never the last. She never cries, but she fakes it beautifully. And at night, she escapes from the failure of her own life by breaking into the homes of others, and feeling, for a short while, like a different, better person. But one night, as an uninvited guest in someone's empty room, she discovers a story sadder than her own: a boy named Cooper Payne, whose dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest and discovering the moonflower from his favourite book, Once Upon a Moonflower, died alongside his father. For reasons even she doesn't entirely understand, Story decides that she will help Cooper and his mother. She will make his dream come true. The Understory is a magical, moving, funny, and poignant story of failure and success; of falling apart and rebuilding; and of coincidences that never really are. Part comedy, part drama, and part fairy tale, Elizabeth Leiknes's second novel is a wonder you won't soon forget.

Reviews

Elizabeth Leiknes's characters have something in common with the most charming characters in literaturethey're all hot messes. The Understory's Story Easton, with her pathological need to escape herself and her commitment to being the best failure she can be, is no exception, and I love her for it. In fact, I wish I could get my hands on a few of her Life's a Crapshoot greeting cards. -Sandi Kahn Shelton, Author of Four Acclaimed Novels, Including Kissing Games of the World, Soon to be Made into a Major Motion Picture Leiknes's love for the interconnectedness of human stories is contagious. Story Easton, the aptly named heroine of this cheeky and irreverent fairy tale, has a charming case of literary Tourette syndrome (among other enchanting quirks) and is a delight to tag along with on her week-long attempt to make a success of herself. Layer by layer, laugh by laugh, The Understory shows Leiknes's talents in full bloom. -Ben Rogers, author of the acclaimed novel, The Flamer, and recipient of a Nevada Arts Council Fellowship and two Sierra Arts Foundation Literary Artist Endowment Grants Wow! What an amazing book! Author Elizabeth Leiknes has got to be one of my favorite writers in this world. Her writing style, which is almost staccato, has a very nice beat and rhythm to it, and resembles the style of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I have now added The Understory to my top ten books ... ever written. -Josiah Morgan, 11-year-old YouTube reviewer, New Zealand The Understory is an odd and charming fairy tale in which the hurt, betrayed, and broken find their unlikely but welcome ending thanks to a girl searching for her own happily-ever-after. From its quirky first sentence to its final perfect finish, The Understory captivated me. -Unabridged Chick Sweet and charming story. Very high quirk factor, which really speaks to me. Can't wait to read the author's previous novel, The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns. -Gina Beirne, Library Media Specialist, Southside High School, Elmira, NY

Author Bio

"Elizabeth Leiknes grew up in rural Iowa and can make thirty-seven different dishes featuring corn. She attended The University of Iowa as an undergrad, and The University of Nevada, Reno for her Masters. Her most recent accomplishments include publishing an article entitled Writing Spaces: Expanding the One Story House in The Quarterly, and completing two other novels, Black-Eyed Susan, and The Understory. Lucy Burns was "born" somewhere between a third and fourth helping of Captain Crunch in Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy with her first child, but the majority of Lucy's story was written during her maternity leave somewhere between debilitating bouts of new-mother panic attacks, and squirting milk in various inappropriate locations about town. Elizabeth has a love/hate relationship with great white sharks, and a slight penchant for speaking in hyperbole, which she says she never does. She now lives and teaches English near Lake Tahoe with her husband, two sons, and mentally ill cat."