Marlena-Troubled Teens' Fast and Furious Friendship

"Marlena" is a novel by Julie Buntin who writes about 2 teenage girls from broken homes who find refuge & in each other.   Catherine "Cat" is 15 when she moves to the desolate MI town with her mother & older brother, Jimmy, after her father abandons the family.  "There aren't words for the catastrophic dreariness of being 15 in northern MI at the tail end of winter."  The move takes her from her privileged private school (on academic scholarship) to the public high school and a rundown home which Cat's mother can barely afford.  Jimmy defers his college scholarship so he can be the breadwinner.  They move across the street from Marlena, 17, who lives in a run down barn with her dad & younger brother, Sal.  Marlena's mom left their family leaving Marlena to care Sal while dad is either making/selling meth or getting high.  We know from the start that this coming of age story ends tragically for Marlena a year after they meet & Cat now as a working woman in NYC has her own battles with alcohol.  Although the novel deals with very harsh issues of drug addiction & sexual abuse it's also about the power of friendship as a teen that overshadows everything else.  "A best friend is a magic thing, like finding a stump full of water that will make you live forever."  A cautionary tale of self-destruction, family dysfunction and the intense bond of teen friendship that is a driving force of youth.