Raymond854
A Matter of Convenience follows the lives of Ryne Dodge and Gwen Newman. Ryne is a gifted high school track athlete from Texas whose greatest athletic triumph is immediately followed by the devastating death of both his parents in a car accident. After the tragedy, Ryne moves to Benning, Maine, to live with his grandmother, Edna.
Gwen Newman, talented and ambitious, struggles with the pressure of being a celebrated track athlete while resisting her father's attempts to control her college future and athletic career. Meeting Ryne on the first day of school, and they unwittingly forge an unconventional relationship that would last throughout their lives.
Ryne, still processing his parents' deaths, tries to remain invisible at school, but his connection with Gwen quickly draws unwanted attention, especially from Darius Jackson, Gwen's possessive boyfriend, and her obsessive father. When Gwen's goals and desires come under attack, Ryne puts aside his emotional darkness and devises a plan to ensure her future. The plan culminates in a secret marriage between Ryne and Gwen to thwart the attempts of Gwen's father to ruin Gwen's dreams.
Their bond deepens, but Gwen's distractions, especially with Darius and her father, strains their relationship, leading to years of separation. Once she achieves her dreams, Gwen is ready to move on without Ryne. Ryne, never coming to terms with his parents' deaths, welcomes her decision to fulfill his dark objectives.
At its heart, the story is about grief, ambition, trust, racial tension, family wounds, and the slow emotional connection between two gifted athletes who must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to become who they are meant to be - one who desires to live, while the other is waiting to die.