Gorgeous cover, right? It's weird how it covers the characters' faces, though. The Meaning of Birds is a story about grief, grief, grief, grief, grief, and the possibility of feeling better again some day. Jess's girlfriend of 2+ years has died, and Jess, who lost her father to war is not handling it well. Rage feels better than devastation, so her anger management practice is put to the test. She's trying to get through her senior year in high school, but people saying that her dyke girlfriend deserved to die makes that hard.
The incessant despair was hard to take for a while, but I'm glad I stuck it out. I've been reading shorter books lately, and sometimes a book that a minute to get into stays with you longer. I still can't believe that Vivi is forever gone either, Jess.