ILLYRIA

Growing up in a large, eccentric, extended family in Yonkers in the late 1960s, two first cousins exist in their own private world. Born on the same day, 15-year-old Rogan and Maddy are the youngest children of identical twin brothers and great-grandchildren of a famous actress. The “kissing cousins” routinely tryst in an attic room, where they discover a toy theater that foreshadows their future. With his fey appearance and mesmerizing voice, Rogan’s tormented, a bit dangerous and afraid of nothing, in sharp contrast to the bright, devoted and supportive Maddy. Their latent dramatic talents emerge when they star together in the school production of Twelfth Night, but their overly close relationship triggers parental intervention, forcing Maddy to choose between the wayward Rogan and a possible acting career. Maddy tells their tender story in the past tense, recalling the passion, isolation and urgency of their relationship and its repercussions many years later. This intense, sensual and bittersweet love story unfolds in hauntingly lyrical prose and should appeal to mature teens. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)