Rufus + Syd (Paperback, New edition)

Vermillion, Georgia, is the small town that time forgot, or at least that's how it feels to fifteen-year-old Rufus. As if being a scrawny ginger called "Matchstick" isn't bad enough, Rufus is also gay, an artist, and the son of conservative religious fanatics. He doesn't have a prayer of fitting in in the Bible Belt—at least not until he meets Syd, a spiky-haired girl in black eyeliner. Sick of being the adult her mother can't seem to be, Syd hides behind a snarky attitude and takes refuge in classic movies, and eventually, her friendship with Rufus. As isolated as they feel in Vermillion, Rufus and Syd soon discover they're not as alone as they thought. Josephine, an aging free spirit who once ran a repertory cinema in Chicago, and Cole, a middle-aged gay man living with a brain injury as a result of a violent homophobic attack in his youth, offer help as the two teens struggle to discover who they are, what they want, and where they might belong. But not everyone in their town is so freethinking or open-minded. When things become unbearable, where do two outspoken atheists turn? Trusting in each other and standing together is their only chance of making it through the opposition on all sides.