2008 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780887487286)

Disillusioned former high school sweethearts must come to terms with their past and present in the face of a tragedy.

It's 2008: the age of the blog, the dawn of social media, and the birth of the smartphone. Obama is running for president on a slogan of hope, while in the shadows, an opioid crisis emerges, and the housing market teeters. Stevie and Sam, two old high school flames who have grown up and grown apart, are brought back together in the aftermath of a tragedy that throws them off the tracks of their lives. Sam, a struggling realtor, is determined to solve a mystery at any cost. Stevie hits on a plan for a "redo" that involves abandoning her adult life to relive her teenage glory days. As both struggle inside the mediocrity of their early adulthoods, the disenchanted world begins to reveal itself, and secrets threaten to overwhelm them. On the cusp of a new era of uncertainty, these old friends must find ways to reconcile their past and find their way home.

Author: Susan McCarty
ISBN-10: 0887487289
ISBN-13: 9780887487286
Publisher: Carnegie-Mellon University Press
Language: English
Published: 02/19/2026
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback

Review Citation(s):
Foreword 12/18/2025