More or Less Maddy: A Novel

Emily comes to visit Maddy at her dorm and brings her a potted succulent. Maddy and Emily were close growing up, despite being five years apart, but now Maddy feels as though Emily lives in an entirely different world. She used to idolize her sister and wanted to be just like her, but the two have grown apart. Emily asks Maddy if she’s made any friends, and pressures her to branch out. She drags Maddy across the hall and knocks on the door of the people living there, inviting herself in. Maddy marvels at how easy everything is for her sister, because while it once felt easy for Maddy, that is no longer the case. Now, Maddy is starting to suspect that something is actually wrong.

Maddy compares herself to her roommate Manoush, who wakes up early and stays up late studying for her sciences degree, while Maddy sleeps in, often misses classes, and has no idea what she wants to major in. Today, Maddy has one philosophy class, and it takes her an hour just to get out of bed. It leaves her no time to shower or eat, but she heads out