I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos

“I’d Give Anything” by Marisa de Los Santos is the story of Ginny whose reliable, competent, upstanding husband has been fired from his job.

It’s because of a scandal that Ginny learns about at the Devonshire market from his co-worker. Harris had not been fired because of what had happened with eighteen-yearold Cressida, a high school student. The handholding had lasted only a moment, but because of the cover-up by Harris it had “gone viral.” Ginny thinks of their daughter Avery, age fifteen, and what this news might do to her. It’s a small town and she’ll hear of this.

Back in June the Fantastic Four (Kirsten, Gray, CJ, and Ginny) were all outdoors thinking of jumping off the bluff. Her brother Trev and Cressida had jumped as one. Ginny wants stability for Avery, and won’t let Avery’s world fall apart. She goes to see her mother who has discerned something has happened. Mother loves a challenge, and thinks it will lengthen her days. “This is what happens when you marry a man you think will never surprise you”, she says.

One night mom announces that Trevor will commute to college from home until he proves trustworthy not to disgrace his family for the whole freshman year. When Trev and Ginny were twelve and eleven police officers had brought Trev home in a police car because he’d uprooted all the stop signs of a four-way corner stop. Trev didn’t want anyone to get hurt, only to drive mom crazy.

When Ginny’s mom died she left a suitcase full of books to her granddaughter and wrote her own obituary, still controlling after she’s gone. She’d left a note pinned to the front door that said, “I died the way I lived, on my own terms.” She’d been bed-ridden, unable to walk so how did she leave the house? When Ginny tells Avery the truth, Avery cries, not hard but enough. Ginny calls her brother Trev now, as a way to find each other again. She tells us the back story by writing it in her journal. She’d adored Gray and pictured them married with kids living happily ever after. Then he dropped the bomb; told her he was gay. At first, she’s angry that he’s misled her but then she feels awful for him, for herself, says she’ll stand by him. He’d been a star player on the football team and then the coach tells him to take a test for HIV. He refuses and the parents of other team members tell him to do it. Coach tells him to shower at home.

There is a fire at the school and Gray’s father is injured and taken to the hospital. Ginny sees Harris moving his stuff to his rented apartment. He says his therapist is helping him see himself as a cautious type. He’d been depressed for a year. Ginny pays attention now when Kirsten shows her a huge diamond engagement ring. Ginny confesses she likes Daniel, the vet, whom she knows from the dog park. In her journal, we learn how the fire at the school the night of the big game started. Everyone followed instructions to leave the stands although they couldn’t find CJ and his beloved sax.

Gray who’s in fireman’s gear, goes to find CJ and the sax. Avery finds the journal in the suitcase from her grandmother. A page is torn out and Ginny stops being friends with her old group because of the “secret.” She thinks Trev must have set the fire. Gray’s father falls off the roof and Gray is shattered by sorrow. Blank pages follow in the journal.

Twenty years later Kirsten wants Ginny to host an engagement party although Ginny thinks all her old friends hate her. Gray invites Ginny over for dinner with all her old friends there. They talk about the fire at the old school. Who set it? Does Harris admit his wrongdoings and return to his family? Does Avery grow up in a good way?

Author De Los Santos has a PhD in literature and creative writing. Find this interesting coming-of-age story on the new fiction shelf of your local library.