The Skunks

DEBUT Warnick’s charming and quirky first novel speaks to a fairly familiar experience for the Generation Z demographic who upon finishing college find themselves at loose ends, seeking to figure out what’s next for them. In that mode, Isabel has returned to her hometown and taken a housesitting gig, as well as a couple of other jobs, for the summer. The home for which she is responsible belongs to a couple whose son Eli was the object of Isabel’s high school crush. The summer represents the ending of Isabel’s adolescence, and Warnick uses the season to explore young love, friendship, and the complexities of human nature through Isabel’s often-awkward interactions with just about everyone. Warnick also delights readers with imaginative musings on the lives of juvenile skunks that Isabel has discovered are living under her summer residence. These thoughts enrich Isabel’s coming-of-age story and add gentle humor to an overall positive and joyful story.