Parent Magazine Flagler April 2020 | Page 21

authenticity and empathy, and not a small amount of The Waning Age humor offsets the sometimes bittersweet realities of the S.E. Grove characters’ lives. Emotions have dried up in this stripped-down sci-fi noir novel Young Adult in which people “wane”—lose Gravity their ability to experience Sarah Deming feelings—ever earlier. When This gritty, uplifting story follows Gravity Delgado, who begins boxing at age 12 and is preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics by age 16 Nat’s little brother Cal is identified as a late waner and taken in for testing, she determines to help him, even without the ability to feel traditional love. In Grove’s rich near-future world, a Raymond Chandler–style narrative meets questions of ethics and technology. while navigating familial and social matters. Deming gives readers a thrilling firsthand look inside a boxing ring while offering the layered tale of a dedicated, formidable young woman. F L A G L E R parent M A G A Z I N E | 17