A coming-of-age novel, based on the author’s experiences, about an autistic pregnant trans teen boy in the Canadian foster care system.
CHASING CARS features a vulnerable, authentic voice, a friendship to rival any romance, and epistolary elements that explore what the protagonist struggles to say out loud. It is at turns both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Set against the backdrop of the modern American abortion debate, 17-year-old Vern learns he’s pregnant from a supportive doctor, who informs him he only has a couple weeks to decide. He writes letters to his best friend, Miles, to work through everything from dysphoria to disassociation. Miles responds with unconditional love and understanding, offering to help Vern raise the baby.
As Vern’s decision deadline approaches, he is met with hostility from his foster parents, the foetus’ father and his mother.
With Miles’ unwavering support, as well as the support of a few key adults, Vern will make the toughest decision of his life and move forward towards a future where he is loved, supported, and safe.
Coniah Edgar is Jules Sherred’s pen name to separate his fiction from non-fiction.