Coming to Terms

Seventeen-year old Ellie O’Neal’s idyllic, unconventional family life in the Finger Lakes of New York is shattered in 1991 when her father and younger brother die in a horrific accident. She begins a twenty year journey of formation that takes her to New York City and London and back and reaches into the depths of her memory. On a coming of age quest replete with love and heartbreak she forms friendships that broaden and deepen her notion of family. These relationships compose a center that holds as she relearns her past and comes to terms with life.

It’s autumn of 1991 in the Finger Lakes of New York. Ellie O’Neal is looking forward to creating one more year of memories to carry with her when she leaves for college, but on the first Saturday of October her idyllic family life is shattered when her father and younger brother die in a horrifying accident. She embarks on a journey of formation that takes her to New York City, across the Atlantic and back, and deep into her past. Hunter College is her first stop. Uncomfortable sharing the pain of her loss with classmates, she immerses herself in literature courses to avoid social interaction until an exceptional young woman becomes a friend who draws her out into the world. Though Ellie begins to welcome new experiences and friendships, anxiety continually intrudes on her happiness. Her friend’s words of encouragement, “Maybe what happened to you at seventeen was your share of life’s pain,” bring temporary consolation. Yet doubts persist. "What if it wasn’t my share of pain? What if it was only the beginning?" On a twenty-year coming of age quest replete with love and heartbreak, grief and joy, Ellie builds on an emotional foundation bestowed by her parents and forges relationships that broaden and deepen her notion of family. These bonds compose a center that holds as she relearns her past and comes to terms with life.

K.D. Girsch began her undergraduate career as an enthusiast of English literature. Post-baccalaureate study of Spanish ignited a passion for Hispanic authors, and she completed a master’s degree in Spanish Literature. She is an avid traveler and has followed the same paths—in the Finger Lakes, New York City, London, Yorkshire, and Madrid—as the protagonist of Coming to Terms. She is currently at work on Connections, a series of short stories that relate episodes in the lives of characters introduced in Coming to Terms.