THIS TINY PERFECT WORLD

THIS TINY PERFECT WORLD is the story of one summer for a girl called Penny who's growing up in Christmas, Florida - the crocodiless-and-trailer-parks part of Florida - living a pretty modest life, still coping with the fallout of her parents' sudden divorce some months ago but doing okay.

She spends most of her time hanging out with her two best friends, Logan and Faye, who've all known since they were kids what they'd grow up to do, because it's probably the same thing their parents grew up doing, or whatever readily-accessible blue collar job their older siblings have graduated into. Logan in particular is going to be tied to Florida long-term - his single mom relies on him a lot, particularly to help raise his baby brother Mikey. Shortly after Penny's parents' separation, she and long-time friend Logan began dating. Penny thinks it's just like a story: best friends, skinned knees, they've known each other since third grade. It does occasionally give her nervous butterflies to think how assumed it is that they will settle down together - graduate high school and live near their respective parents, etc - but even if it's a life with no surprises, it's a cosy, reassuring one, and Penny sees a lot to be said for that. The only quiver of discontent centres around her love of acting, a relatively newly discovered passion thanks to a new high school teacher. When Penny unexpectedly gets a scholarship to an acting camp a few (wealthier) towns over this summer, she can't pass it up. Slowly, the people she meets there - particularly a girl called Sam and a boy called Chase - make her realise how big the world is, and how much other people have been taught to expect from it. Chase's car, fake ID, apparently unlimited wealth, and taste for house parties also make an impression. Over the summer, Penny becomes pulled in two different directions, and has to figure out how to be honest with herself and everybody else. Meanwhile, her parents have to figure out how to be honest with themselves and Penny too - their divorce has layers Penny has never been made aware of, and which will further undermine her certainty in her "tiny perfect world" once she understands the whole history there. In the end both Penny and her parents will have to be brave - whatever that means to each of them.