Asphalt Kids

English lit student Ema has spent her entire life feeling like she's not enough. Not the ideal daughter. Or student. Or athlete. She's never been at home in her own body, always feeling too big or too small. Maybe that's why she settles for men who only love her as little as she loves herself. She knows she hasn't been the greatest friend to her besties, Gabija and Rytis, despite their unconditional love for her. And she's certainly never been good enough for her childhood crush, Leo, the popular kid who's forever felt out of reach. Until, suddenly, he isn't. Growing up together in the Soviet concrete tower blocks of Vilnius, Lithuania bonded the Asphalt Kids, as they're known, in ways outsiders could never understand, and upon reconnecting as young adults, Leo realises his shared history with Ema has evolved into an all-too-tempting fascination. For Ema, it feels like a dream, even if it's an affair. Even if it's a dirty little secret. Even if it's toxic. It's still everything she's ever wanted. How could she resist? But when adult life challenges Ema to finally make some hard decisions, her passion for art emerges as an unexpected priority—just as she discovers Leo isn't the only one harbouring strong feelings for her. Now, as long-concealed truths come to light, Ema will have to make a choice between what she's always wanted, and a future she never imagined. Asphalt Kids explores how the ghost of a traumatic history shapes the people we become, the things we fight for, and the people we love. Reviews: "A hauntingly beautiful story. There is poetry to Egle's writing that's simply transcendent; it's so evocative, so raw. Her mastery of language when it comes to creating beautiful metaphors is extraordinarily powerful. The story is thought-provoking and bittersweet in the best possible way. The author takes her characters - the damaged children that must grow into the damaged adults - with such detail and care. " - Kate Studer, the editor at Paper Poppy Editorial "An exquisitely painful and powerful debut novel by Egle Nutautaite is set in Lithuania in the years just following the end of the USSR. Her characters, damaged both by dysfunctional families and by the constricting Soviet culture that dominated their childhoods, flail throughout their young adulthoods as they seek to find a path forward that can fulfill both ambition and relational satisfaction. A heart-wrenching and unflinching glimpse into the lives of the children who grew up under communism in the USSR, but whose young adult lives were shadowed by the chaos that followed the immediate aftermath of its downfall, and a reminder of the power of love and self-determination." - J.L. Powers, author of Under Water. About the author: Egle Nutautaite was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. After she quit her successful business career, she moved to Barcelona to pursue the life of the artist. She is a writer and a figurative artist focused on oil painting and drawing. "Asphalt Kids" is her first published novel.