“You Are the Everything” by Karen Rivers, 272 pages, Algonquin, $17.95, ages 14 and up

“You are on a plane.” An entire novel written in second person may seem like pumpkin spice hummus: an interesting experiment, but not something most of us are eager to consume. Yet Karen Rivers uses the perspective to brilliant effect. Grounded in the fragile consciousness of its teenage main character, Elyse Schmidt, the narrative works so well that the only circumstance under which you will want to avoid reading it is if you are actually in flight.

The story, which recounts events leading up to and following a deadly plane crash, tilts and swerves. Multiple chapters open on a football field in Wyoming, where Elyse and her boyfriend, Josh Harris, are lying on a blanket drinking beer and looking at the stars. In one sense, Elyse’s greatest wish has come true: She has loved Josh in secret for a long time, and now he loves her. But the tragedy that bonded them has also brought loss, grief and gaps in Elyse’s memory that she can’t seem to bridge. You take this harrowing yet beautiful journey with her. You see the pieces fall into place. Together, you figure it out.