Irises

by Francisco X. Stork

Overview

Two sisters discover what's truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of Marcelo in the Real World.

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood. THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own. ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good -- the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for. Irises is Francisco X. Stork's most provocative and courageous novel yet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545392631
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/2012
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Francisco X. Stork (he/him) emigrated from Mexico at the age of nine with his mother and his adoptive father. I Am Not Alone is his tenth novel. Other novels include: Marcelo in the Real World, recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, which received the Elizabeth Walden Award, The Memory of Light, recipient of the Tomás Rivera Award, Disappeared, which received the Young Adult Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and was a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book and Illegal, recipient of the In the Margins Award, the Young Adult Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and the International Latino Book Award. On the Hook published in 2021, received four starred reviews and was the recipient of the International Latino Book Award.

Read an Excerpt

From Irises

"Hello? Hello?"

Kate hesitated. She could hang up now and go back home. Home. Home was a mother who was dying but never died, a sister who couldn't live alone. Home was the place that gripped you by the ankles whenever you tried to make something of yourself. "Hello," she said tentatively. There was something about taking that first step that gave her strength.

"Kate?"

"Yes."

"Is everything okay?"

"Remember when you told me I could call you day or night?"

"You sound like you're in trouble. Where are you?"

She took a deep breath. She knew what she was doing and had no doubts. She wanted to make sure she didn't sound as if she did. "Did you mean it?"

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Kate, 18, and Mary, 16, daughters of a stern Texas minister, are close but very different. Kate secretly dreams of going to Stanford for a medical degree. Artistic Mary is quiet, serious, and deeply devoted to her family, especially their mother, who is in a persistent vegetative state. When their father dies suddenly, the girls must grow up quickly. Although they have help from adults—their aunt, teachers, a social worker—they must make life-altering, wrenching decisions on their own. Stork touches on matters of faith, fidelity, and being true to oneself with gentle writing that is at times a bit stiff, but that suits the girls' upbringing. This is even addressed in the narrative when another character talks to Mary about the formality of her speech. The mutual attraction between Kate and the new minister who replaces her father is a catalyst for her to make some big changes for her family, including whether or not to end her mother's life. The girls work through such questions as what is selfishness and what is moving on with your own life, and whether there is a proper way to grieve. Although Irises covers deep topics, its slow, graceful pace never feels ponderous or overwhelming. It offers readers much to reflect on, even as its protagonists do the same.—Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT

School Library Journal

In this ethically nuanced novel, Stork (Marcelo in the Real World) thrusts a devastating choice on two strong heroines. When their strict minister father dies, two El Paso sisters, 18-year-old Kate, who dreams of going to medical school, and 16-year-old Mary, a talented painter, are left with many painful decisions. At the forefront of their minds are their mother, who has been in a persistent vegetative state for more than two years following a car accident, and their perilous financial situation. Tension escalates when the church plans to evict them, the insurance company denies their father’s policy, and Kate resists pressure to marry her dependable boyfriend. As both sisters change and open up in unexpected ways without their father’s restrictive presence, questions of faith and the girls’ differing beliefs and outlooks provide a powerful theme, further complicated when Kate raises a potentially divisive question: whether to keep their mother on life support. Stork demonstrates his customary skill in creating memorable and multidimensional characters in a story that leaves lingering, contemplative questions regarding death, survival, and love. Agent: Faye Bender Literary Agency. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Marcelo in the Real World:

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Teens

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults



"Brisk, brilliant, unsentimental." -- Robert Lipsyte, The New York Times Book Review



“Stork delivers a powerful tale populated by appealing (and decidedly unappealing) characters and rich in emotional nuance.” -- Kirkus, starred review



“Shot with spirtualism, laced with love, and fraught with conundrums, this book, like Marcelo himself, surprises.” -- Booklist, starred review



Praise for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors:



"[An] openhearted, sapient novel about finding authentic faith and choosing higher love."--Publishers Weekly, starred review



"Stork's latest marks him as one of the most promising young adult authors of the new decade." -- The Horn Book, starred review



“Complicated yet ultimately endearing characters are a Francisco Stork standard. His latest novel doesn't disappoint.” -- Chicago Sun-Times



"An intricate, engaging story, with the occasional parallel to Don Quixote." -- The Denver Post

From the Publisher

Kate and Mary Romero live in present-day El Paso, but their father, a minister, has isolated them from modern temptations, including the Internet. When he dies unexpectedly, the teenagers are left alone to cope with the outside world; take care of their mother, who is in a persistent vegetative state; and decide on their futures. Narrator Carrington MacDuffie's expressive reading is a good match for Kate and Mary, who are each struggling with different aspects of religious faith, family obligations, and personal ambition. However, MacDuffie's mostly neutral accent makes it difficult for listeners to remember that the Romeros are Latinos, and her vocalizations of older men are not strong. Further, one hears a tone of whininess in the girls' dialogue, which is slightly off-putting. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2012 - AudioFile

Two sisters in El Paso face weighty decisions following their father's sudden death. Mary has struggled with her artistic talent since an accident left their mother in a vegetative state. Kate secretly dreams of going to Stanford to become a doctor. Neither can see an escape from the burden of their mother's constant physical needs. Nor can they see each other's perspective, a reality underscored by the third-person narrative that alternates points of view. Kate's boyfriend proposes to her, offering a way out of their financial difficulties, but she's afraid that accepting means giving up her dream. Mary is attuned to a life of faith, like their minister father, and believes that their mother will wake up someday. Kate finds it easier to accept that their mother's life is already gone, and she is the first to recognize that withdrawing life support is an option. Stork never shies away from allowing his teenage characters to deal with tough philosophical issues. His flawed supporting cast--an overzealous father, an imposing aunt, an ambitious young pastor who offers comfort to Kate and a seemingly rough boy who befriends Mary--allows the girls to sort through the complexities of human nature and come together to reach a decision regarding their mother. At times the family dynamics and symbolism seem forced, but there is plenty of poignancy in questions of faith that are raised. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews