The cover is so appropriate for a book so vibrant and fiery. I was first introduced to Eileen in my poetry class. She came to Duke for a reading as part of her tour for this novel. I remember being really impressed with how raw and real her words were. She really spoke to me, aspiring poet me. And now that I'm reading Inferno where heroine is coming of age in New York and I'm kinda sorta coming of age in New York but in a totally normalized and less bohemian way, I feel an even greater connection to her work. I love that her novel reads like short excerpts of her prose. There are so many poetic moments, but still cohesive in a way that poems can't and won't be.
"I was living in New York! All my dreams were collapsing into each tiny decision--suddenly I dropped my pen. I felt something, smelled it. I had an urge. And stepped out into the cool early fall night."