One of the hundred books a year I read:

Late one night, a young couple meets on a New York subway and part without ever exchanging a word. A second encounter convinces them to cautiously get to know each other better and dream of a future away from their dreary lives.

A young mother of two, Maria lives in fear of her domineering boyfriend. She’s recently lost her job and dreads telling him, so she pretends to leave their apartment for her job and rides the subway.

Seventeen-year-old Sebastian escapes his domineering father by slipping out of their apartment to ride the subway and dream of a better life.

At first, their future together seems to be nothing more than a fantasy, but shocking events drive them together. Maria’s husband erupts in anger when he learns of her job loss and deception. Sebastian discovers his father has lied to him his entire life about his mother.

With little money, they make a cross-country trip to the Mojave Desert, a place Sebastian remembers only vaguely. Can they build a life together when they barely know themselves?