The Tin-Awning Collective

About this book

Told entirely in strict reverse chronology through first-person narration, this slice-of-life novel follows eighteen-year-old Hollis Mercer, the formerly celebrated director of a youth design collective. After a highly publicized compromise of standards led to a sponsored pavilion's failure—costing Hollis their scholarships, peer respect, and family confidence—they flee to a weathered high-desert settlement. The story opens at the end of their journey: a moment of quiet, hard-earned integration as Hollis adjusts guy-lines on a finished sun-court. From there, the narrative steps backward in time through layered micro-interactions, from bracing a collapsing windbreak during a dry microburst to trading spare fasteners with a skeptical elder. Instead of seeking public vindication, Hollis finds healing in mundane maintenance tasks, shared brooms, and the unspoken rhythms of water-sharing. By the time the novel reaches its chronological beginning—Hollis boarding a train in disgrace—the reader has already witnessed how accumulated small kindnesses and steady presence can rebuild a fractured soul.

Book details

Genres:

Slice Of Life, Young Adult

Language:

en

Published:

2026-04-29

Content rating:

PG