In 2016, Peter Alves-a twenty-year-old son of immigrants confused about his racial and personal identity-moves in with his soccer team captain and fellow classmate in Harlem. The excitement of college quickly fades as Peter contends with the racial entanglements of the neighborhood, the pressure of making ends meet, and his idiosyncratic and immutable desire to define himself on his own terms.
We follow Peter from the dying heat of summer through a tumultuous fall where nothing turns out as he expected. In one of the season's first soccer games, Peter suffers a severe head-injury which derails his college dreams. As his head heals and his medical bills pile up, he starts an illegal business writing papers for classmates while falling, despite himself, for his TA. Meanwhile, he contends with the racial politics of Harlem alongside hobos, bodega owners, and school children all trying to contend with forces they hardly understand but feel in every way. For a time, the lack of responsibility and new love is a balm, but as the late nights pile on the alcohol starts to seep into the day. Soon Peter is plagiarizing hundreds of papers, his relationship is unstable, and the only thing that seems constant is the bar down the street where the conversation is always good and the world's demands are left for another day. It's only a matter of time before the center falls out.
A literary coming of age, DON'T FORGET TO WRITE is a story of brotherly friendship and the risks of love, the confinements of family history, and the bravery of fighting for what matters. At once courageous and idealistic, Peter passionately pursues the ideas that can serve a conscientious adult and tries to see which sacrifices are worth making.
A story of youthful exploration, scheming, the origins of love, failure, and friendship. Like sitting next to a close friend at the bar who is telling a long, good, story, DON'T FORGET TO WRITE is humorous, serious, and mythic all at once.
In "I Will Love You From Afar," the protagonist is a young girl who has secretly loved her childhood best friend for as long as she can remember. Their friendship is filled with shared laughter, secrets, and countless moments of closeness that mean the world to her. But just as she begins to fully understand the depth of her feelings, her world is shattered by unexpected news: her parents are relocating for work, and she has to leave immediately.
The move is so sudden that the protagonist doesn't have the chance to say goodbye to her best friend, the girl who means everything to her. Torn between her unspoken love and the reality of her situation, she departs with a heavy heart, leaving behind the life she knew and the person she cared for most deeply.
The story follows the protagonist as she adjusts to her new life, miles away from the place she called home. She's haunted by the memory of her best friend, replaying their last moments together and imagining how different things could have been if she had just confessed her feelings. The pain of leaving without a proper farewell gnaws at her, and she begins to wonder if her friend even knows how much she meant to her.
As the protagonist grows older, she keeps her love alive through memories and daydreams, cherishing the connection she once had. She follows her best friend's life from afar, through social media and distant updates, witnessing her friend's milestones and relationships, all the while harboring the secret love she never had the chance to express.
"I Will Love You From Afar" is a tender, bittersweet story about the love that never got a chance to blossom, the weight of unspoken words, and the ache of a goodbye that never happened. It's a narrative that explores the complexities of loving someone in silence, from a distance, and the enduring impact of that love on the protagonist's life as she navigates the challenges of growing up and moving on.