Synopses & Reviews
See You In the Morning is the title of two books (so far), one of poems by Kenneth Patchen and also this one, which is about leaving home when its really hard to do. See you in the morning,” said Jim Woodring in his introduction to Patchens book, is a tender, pathetic genius of hope.” Tender and pathetic because, what if nobody's left in the morning? What if we lose more than we gain when we leave?
This See You In the Morning is about three seventeen-year-olds, Rosie, John, and the narrator, who take care of each other one summer in a small Midwestern town. Rosie is a mystic romantic whose dad earned so much money writing screenplays that she doesnt need an afterschool job. John, Rosies ex, works at the roller rink in a rabbit costume and takes care of his mom when she's tired after a day cutting hair. The narrator works at a bookstore and sometimes focuses so hard on their reading that they see polka dots take over the room. They are heartsick over John, because John is their best and oldest friend so the two must be in love, right? Because if they arent, why stay? But if they aren't, who else will ever understand?
The story unfolds in paragraph poems, shifting like faultlines or candy bars caught in a vending machine. There are religious experiences in churches and at house shows, neverending afternoons in classrooms and diner booths, awkwardness with neighbors and driving instructors. When I think about where I live after school,” the narrator tells John, I cant see anything but not here. And I dont watch movies with anybody else so I want you to come. That feels weird but I feel weirder not telling you.” See You in the Morning is a first book about knowing youre different before knowing how you want to love, or leave, and time hearts brains and God, and music and hope.
Synopsis
See You In the Morning is a book about three 17-year-olds, Rosie, John, and the narrator, who take care of each other one summer in a small Midwestern town. Rosie is a mystic romantic whose dad earned so much money writing screenplays that she doesnt need an after-school job. John, Rosies ex, works at the roller rink in a rabbit costume and takes care of his mom when she's tired after a day cutting hair. The narrator works at a bookstore and sometimes focuses so hard on their reading that they see polka dots take over the room. John is the narrator's best and oldest friend, so now the two of them must be in love, right? Because if they aren't, why stay in town? But if they aren't, who else will ever understand? What is love and how does it work? See You In the Morning happens at diners and house shows, in paragraph-shaped poems, and the narrator's angry, tender, colorful voice.
About the Author
Mairead Case earned a B.A. in Great Books at Notre Dame and an M.F.A. in Fiction at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She writes, edits, teaches and in the decade between her degrees, worked at small presses and magazines. Today Mairead lives in Colorado, where she is a Ph.D. student in English and Creative Writing at the University of Denver, a columnist at
Bookslut, and a poetry teacher at the Denver Womens Correctional Facility.