The Leaving Room

This novel is a 2025 release and a finalist for the National Book Award — a significant honor reflecting its literary impact.

Written in verse, it offers a hauntingly beautiful, lyrical exploration of grief, love, and the space between life and death — a distinctive style that sets it apart in young-adult fiction.  

In The Leaving Room, Gospel serves as the Keeper of the “Leaving Room,” the space that young souls pass through when they die. The recently deceased aren't ready to go — they need time to reflect and remember. When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melodee arrives, Gospel's serious duty becomes complicated: their souls become entangled. As their connection deepens, Gospel and Melodee confront whether Keepers are even allowed to love — and must grapple with grief, memory, connection, and hope. The novel unfolds over only four minutes of “real time,” but within those moments, it becomes a deeply moving, poetic odyssey about life, death, and the spaces in between.

“Intimate and astonishing.” — Jason Reynolds

“Sparse yet evocative verse brings to life a deep and profound exploration of the liminal space between life and death… Gorgeous and haunting, through and through.” — Booklist 

“This powerful narrative is packed with Black joy, queer love, and feminist defiance... Compelling and evocative: a must-read.” — Kirkus Reviews