Cartographers

Seventeen-year-old Ocean Wu has spent years living under the weight of her immigrant mother's hopes for her. After a painful senior year marked by depression, she is no longer sure where she fits in the world. She arrives in New York City with a place waiting at a demanding university, but instead she puts that plan on hold and lives off her savings while she tries to steady herself. She keeps the decision from her mother, whom she loves and does not want to disappoint, at least for now.

In the city, Ocean shares an apartment with Georgie and Tashya, two near strangers who gradually become close friends, and she takes a tutoring job to get by. One late night on the subway she meets Constantine Brave, a fellow student and graffiti artist whose name makes her laugh. The two begin writing to each other through Google Docs, exchanging ideas about physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love.

The connection between Ocean and Constant unravels during her Thanksgiving trip home, when he shows a side of himself that changes everything. Meanwhile, Georgie and Tashya's relationship ends, and the police become involved.

The novel follows four young people, Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya, as they chart their futures, dreams, and routes into adulthood. Its central concern is how to find the strength to take charge of your own destiny. Told with a melancholy and romantic tone, it explores family, friendship, philosophy, and love.