Keep You Always

Abstract

In Keep You Always the protagonist and narrator, Mason Sykora, is an aspiring poet longing to escape Midwest confinement by moving to New York City with his friend Asher Rose. When Mason drunkenly sees a young woman named Stella Young, ambition conflicts with romance. Eventually, Mason arrives in Manhattan and is forced to confront failure, isolation, and addiction. After Stella reenters Mason’s life, the couple lives together in Wisconsin. But, jealousy and routine push Mason and Asher to adventures in Southeast Asia. The novel is a stream-of-conscious narrative that uniquely blends multiple writing styles to showcase how much our actions and decisions influence relationships. Through an eclectic cast of friends, strangers, and family, as well as multiple settings like Minneapolis, Manhattan, Seoul, and Siem Reap, the novel’s use of intertextuality and honest prose make Mason’s self-destructive journey the reader’s own. The result is an exploration of young adults, contemporary America, and literary experimentation.