Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

English

Reader 1

Leila Mansouri

Reader 2

Thomas Koenigs

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

2026 Kira S Barker

Abstract

This novella follows the protagonist Maya, a transfer from NYU and a current college senior at a liberal arts school in Oregon. She receives a letter from an old NYU friend, Lewis, bringing up both positive and painful memories. As she reflects on the past, we are thrown back into Maya's freshman year at NYU. While at NYU, we learn that she struggled to fit into New York City and make friends. Having given up entirely and being determined to transfer, her only source of excitement is the desk notes that she exchanges with a mysterious stranger. When second semester comes around, she accidentally comes into contact with her secret correspondent, a boy named Keith. She becomes tangled up in the lives of him and his best friend Lewis, who are both charming and deeply flawed. The friendship between the three of them enchants the city for Maya, giving her a reason to stay. However, soon the friendship starts to crack due to class differences, regional divides, and substance abuse. After a climactic blow up at a fancy rooftop party, the three friends are left not talking to one another; not until Lewis reaches out to Maya three years later, raising the question of whether or not revisiting and healing past wounds is worth it in the present.

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