YOUR DESTINATION IS ON THE LEFT

An aspiring teen artist yearns to break free from her family’s nomadic lifestyle in Spieller’s debut novel.

For the Rhodes family, home is an RV on a never-ending trek across the country with two other families, one of which includes Dessa’s best friend and secret crush, Cyrus. Despite the caravan’s “never stop moving” mentality, Dessa dreams of becoming a real artist and settling down one day—also known as “High Nomad Treason.” She eagerly applies to 10 art schools but is rejected by every single one of them. Already feeling lost and bound to the life her parents chose for her, she discovers that her father, a web designer without a degree, is struggling to make ends meet. She unexpectedly lands an internship with Santa Fe–based artist Fiona Velarde, a promising opportunity that will test her artistic abilities, challenge her loyalty to her family, and hinder her emerging romance with Cyrus. Refreshingly, it is the parents in this story who have poor decision-making skills throughout, often relying on group votes to decide the caravan’s fate. Dessa’s resilience is laudable and will resonate with anyone well-acquainted with failure. The cast is mainly white (Dessa has a Greek grandmother) with some racial diversity—Cyrus and another supporting character are black, and Fiona is tan-skinned with black hair.

An emotional, aesthetic, and hopeful journey to self-discovery.