Rebecca Lowry Warchut

Catastrophe Theory

Due to a rare brain tumor, Vera Garcia’s soccer career is suddenly sidelined at the start of her senior year. When her single mother— terrified at the thought of losing her only daughter— clings too tightly, both Vera’s identity and her freedom are in jeopardy.

They make it to St. Petersburg, Florida for surgery just as Hurricane Phoenix’s trajectory turns directly toward them. As the cyclops churns closer and closer, their paths collide with a tech guru recently expelled from college, a mysterious Catalonian street magician, holograms of Salvador Dali himself, and the ambitious museum curator connecting them all in a whirlwind of love, betrayal, and illusion.

Can they escape their past choices and entangled destinies, determining their own fates? Will they succumb to loss, or like the phoenix, reinvent themselves, rewrite their stories, and rise anew?

For everyone who has lost something, Rebecca Lowry Warchut’s YA novel Catastrophe Theory is a surreal tale about the dangers of letting one thing define us and how to find opportunity in tragedy.

Publisher: Woodhall Press
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1954907409

"As sensational as its plot can be, the Catastrophe Theory raises heartfelt questions: What does it mean to be a family? How can we learn to trust again when our hearts are broken? And if the Big One finally came along, what would we want to save?" —Amanda Hagood, The Gabber

“From Surrealism, to the history of the banyan tree, to extreme storms, Warchut expertly covers a lot of fascinating territory in her debut novel. Catastrophe Theory is a triumph.” —Chandra Prasad, Author of Mercury Boys and Damselfly

“A beautifully-written modern saga of mother and daughter, told with grace and humor and wit. This book's finely-wrought portrayals of old friendships and young love reminds us of what binds us together and also what can tear us apart... and keeps you on your toes til the final page!”—Cambra Overend, Producer, SRO Productions

“In her stunning debut novel Catastrophe Theory, Rebecca Lowry Warchut weaves a vivid world of fascinating characters and the unexpected ties that connect them all. At the Dali Museum in the eye of a hurricane, the real and surreal combine, revealing that the truths of life often exist somewhere between the two.”—Sydney Shepherd, Bandits on the Run

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For almost two decades, Rebecca Lowry Warchut has brought characters and stories to life in the classroom and on stage, and now she does it again in her debut YA novel Catastrophe Theory, inspired by the Dali museums in Florida and Spain. An alumni of Wake Forest University, Teach for America, and Bank Street College, she currently teaches writing and social studies. She also nurtures young voices by serving on the 2022 Girls Write Now Anthology Editorial Committee and running a NaNoWriMo Club. Rebecca lives in West Hartford, Connecticut with her husband and two daughters.

Find her on TikTok @rebeccalowrywarchut

www.rebeccalowrywarchut.com

Tags: YA, Contemporary