Among The Hedges

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Everything begins in late summer, in a park. When he suddenly appears before her, she feels overwhelmed. Quasi is "almost fourteen" and has skipped school before. The Old Man is friendly, almost shy, unlike the other men she has encountered. The next day, he returns. The Old Man loves nothing more than birds and the music of Nina Simone; he has no desire to work. Quasi feels isolated in the world, her peers distant and foreign. She finds herself uninteresting, wishing to be more adventurous, perhaps more alluring. The Old Man seems unconcerned by this. But what lies behind the "false accusations" he speaks of? Days and weeks pass: talking and silent in the bushes, while the danger of being discovered grows—by parents, the school authorities, or other park visitors. Quasi knows something must happen… This concise novel, with its unsettling undercurrent, tells the story of two outsiders and gradually approaches the taboo of a relationship that seems suspicious, even almost unbearable.