Life and Other Complications
July 5, 2021 (Favored Oak Press)
2021 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medalist
About the Novel
Seventeen-year-old Aly Bennett has been in love with her friend Luke for years. She hasn't told him how she feels for two reasons. 1) She's the girl with HIV. 2) She lied about how she got it.
Aly never meant to lie. The words just slipped out on her first day of a support group for kids living with life-threatening conditions. It was the day she met Luke and Caroline, who would become her best friends and the closest thing she has to a family. After so many years, Aly doesn’t know how to tell her friends the truth. So she paints and she runs and she tries not to think about the future she can’t have.
But when a Boston prosecutor asks Aly to testify in a trial—and her relationship with Luke intensifies—things become complicated.
Recommended for ages 16 and up.
Praise for Life and Other Complications
“Mullaly executes the work with finesse, effectively balancing a believable young cast with high, real-world stakes. . . engrossing.”- Kirkus Reviews
“An especially powerful, poignant story that . . . pulls no punches in its descriptions of love, longing, lies, and redemption.” – Midwest Book Review
“The novel’s pacing is smooth, and the tight, assured prose keeps the pages flying. . . right up until the novel’s deeply satisfying finale.” – The Prairies Book Review
“Come for the romance, stay for the razor-sharp sentences, and leave with a deep-seeded realization that you are not alone.” -Independent Book Review
Dedication Page
Life and Other Complications has a unique dedication page. To read more about it or to add your name to the dedication list, click the button below.
Places in the Novel
The Ballentine Hotel and Resort, where Caroline and her mother live and where Aly paints her mural, is a work of fiction. But it was inspired by the Mountain View Grand, one of many New Hampshire resorts where wealthy families summered before the creation of air conditioning. You can learn more about the Mountain View Grand and their accommodations by visiting their website.
Mount Washington, the mountain that Aly and her friends climb in the novel, is the tallest peak in the northeastern United States. You can access the summit by a number of trails, including the Boott Spur Trail that Aly and her friends take, the Mount Washington Auto Road or the historic Cog Railway.
You can learn more about visiting Mount Washington by clicking on one of the following links: The Mount Washington Observatory, Trails to the Summit, The Mount Washington Auto Road, The Mount Washington Cog Railroad.
Character Interviews
Click on the name of a character below to access their character interview.
Aly Bennett Caroline Reese Luke Harrison Ben Ellis Natalie Williams Kyle Sutton
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why did you choose to give Aly HIV?
A. In the novel, Aly feels different from the other people around her. HIV acts as an outward and visible sign of that feeling. I also appreciated the opportunity to bring attention to this treatable disease that has long been considered a taboo topic.
Q. Where can I learn more about HIV and AIDS?
A. There are many great resources. The National Library of Medicine is a good place to start.
Q. Are you a painter like Aly?
A. No. You do not want to hand me a paintbrush. The last time I handled oil paints was in eighth grade when I ruined a great deal of clothes struggling to produce a still life of fruit that resembled blobs preparing to slide off a melting checkered slope.
Q. Why did you choose to set the story in New Hampshire?
A. I wanted to set the story in a small town where Aly’s HIV would be unique. When I think of small towns, I always think of the White Mountains of New Hampshire where my grandfather grew up.