Come as You Are - Paperback

by Jennifer Haupt (Author)

NOW IN PAPERBACK! Jennifer Haupt's sophomore novel combines the pop-culture savvy of High Fidelity and the family drama/psychological intrigue of The Nest and Little Fires Everywhere. This compelling story of discovering love and identity, set in part against the backdrop of Seattle in the early '90s, explores it means to confront the truth about the past in order to create a better future for our children.

Can we alter our dreams and stories from the past to create a better future for our children?

Zane and Skye are two misfit teens drawn together by their love of music and their loneliness, both part of Seattle's grunge scene in the early '90s. They dream of moving to LA together, Zane's music career following the trajectory of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, and Skye drawing Picasso-esque portraits on the Venice Beach boardwalk. When a tragedy violently catapults them from best friends to lovers, their bond is forever strengthened and their relationship destroyed. Ten years later, they must come together as parents, putting aside abandoned dreams and broken promises. The question is, can they face the truth of who they are and become the parents their daughter needs them to be?

Author Biography

Jennifer Haupt is the author of the highly acclaimed novel In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills (2018) and editor of the groundbreaking anthology Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 (2020), which has raised more than $40,000 for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

Haupt's essays and articles have been published in O, The Oprah Magazine; The Rumpus; Psychology Today; Travel & Leisure; The Seattle Times; Spirituality & Health; The Sun; and many other publications. Her popular Psychology Today blog, One True Thing, is a collection of essays and interviews for readers and writers.

Haupt's favorite pastimes are fine-tuning Spotify playlists, walking in the woods with her double doodle, and playing board games with her husband of 25+ years and two grown sons.