The Sum of These Things

Written by Emily O'Beirne

Narrated by Cat Gould

In the sequel to A Story of Now, Claire Pearson has already learned a few things this summer. Like falling for a girl is easy. Well, it is if that girl is Mia.
What Claire hasn't learned yet is that now comes the hard part: learning to trust in this new relationship. And that isn't easy when no one has ever given you a reason to trust before.

Then there's the pressing question of what to do with her life. Claire's new volunteer job working with kids offers a glimpse of a potential future, but it definitely isn't something her pushy mother is going to like.

Still, everything feels hopeful as she embarks on the next chapter of her life, armed with new friends and the warm and funny Mia. But Claire quickly discovers that negotiating this new terrain of adulthood isn't easy. Over the rest of this momentous summer, the biggest lesson Claire must learn is how not to let anything get in the way of her happiness. Especially herself.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666191783

Emily O'Beirne

Thirteen-year-old Emily woke up one morning with a sudden itch to write her first novel. All day, she sat through her classes, feverishly scribbling away (her rare silence probably a cherished respite for her teachers). And by the time the last bell rang, she had penned fifteen handwritten pages of angsty drivel, replete with blood-red sunsets, moody saxophone music playing somewhere far off in the night, and abandoned whiskey bottles rolling across tables. Needless to say, that singular literary accomplishment is buried in a box somewhere, ready for her later amusement.From Melbourne, Australia, Emily was recently granted her PhD. She works part-time in academia, where she hates marking papers but loves working with her students. She also loves where she lives but travels as much as possible and tends to harbour crushes on cities more than on people.