Made of Folded Paper by Kai Wolden

That night, I finally got it— the call that flipped the world upside down. - Will/ Iowa

From the Made of Folded Paper blurb:

College friendships are supposed to last a lifetime… But this is a little more complicated…

Will, a daydreamer and romantic from small-town Iowa, starts his first year at Weston Academy of the Arts, where his peers nickname him “Iowa.” Iowa becomes acquainted with a charismatic thespian

named LA, who introduces him to his two best friends—Cynic, a suave and sardonic musician, and Charlie, a reserved and enigmatic writer.

Over time, Iowa becomes increasingly fascinated with his three new friends in different ways, forming a brotherly bond with LA and a more complex connection with Cynic. Only Charlie remains distant, capturing Iowa’s intrigue most of all.

When Iowa catches a glimpse of an alarming scar on Charlie’s chest, he becomes obsessively concerned about him. He begins to view Charlie as a fragile, tragic figure—but when he finally breaks through Charlie’s barriers, he discovers that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

As Iowa is overcome by intensifying feelings for Charlie, the group dynamic grows tense. It turns out Charlie and Cynic have a history, and seeing Charlie and Iowa together just might be enough to drive Cynic off the rails…

As graduation approaches, the four friends’ relationships are tested by jealousy, heartbreak and tragedy. Will love be enough to hold them together in the end?

Reader advisory: This book includes the death of a character in a drunk-driving incident. There are mentions of substance abuse, self-harm and depression, as well as mentions of suicide, homophobia, and transphobia.

Laora's Review:

Made of Folded Paper gave me a rollercoaster of emotions. Which is told from the point of view of Will/ Iowa. After saving and gathering courage he sets of to get a degree, as a slightly older student, in English literature at a university in Michigan. Once there he folds into a group of existing friends in the creative field; LA, Cyn and Charlie.

Iowa has to find his place and his confidence in this group. The characters are well built up, some more than others, but all well enough to relate to them through their actions and emotions.

All the characters have to go through personal growth and acceptance of actions by the others. I appreciate that we check in with the characters several years after they left the university Be aware that there will be a death of one the named persons in the book and how the remaining persons all deal differently with that lose.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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