Nothing's Ever the Same

Itzel's 13th birthday party starts in just about the unluckiest way possible-with her dad having a heart attack. In those frantic moments, the piata and the frosted sheetcake and the Styrofoam cups of orange soda are forgotten; the day's highlights end up being CPR, an ambulance ride, and angioplasty. But when her father gets home from the hospital, his problems are far from over-and Itzel's are just getting started.

Nothing's Ever the Same chronicles a young girl's coming of age in Chicago-growing up as her family grows apart. In masterful fashion, Cyn Vargas gives us a touching and memorable and universal story about a marriage on the brink and a teenager looking for love. It's a short book that packs a wallop; it's also a beautiful meditation on dysfunction and forgiveness, and all the times in life to which we can never return.

The New Chicago Classics are a disparate set of titles united around a common theme: showcasing the city's up-and-coming literary talents as they produce enduring works. These excellent titles are destined to stand in the first rank of literature about the second city.