Coming of Age

Coming of age is a common theme in The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily, as the two main characters, Lily and Abelard, are both forced to make difficult decisions about who they want to be in the future. As two teenagers with neurological differences, they do not have the stereotypical high school experience. Both Lily and Abelard must deal with their own unique set of circumstances that make coming of age much more complicated than it is for the average teenager. Lily and Abelard's struggles cause them to experience rapid personal growth throughout the novel.

Lily, who grows up dealing with both ADHD and dyslexia, dreads going to school every day. She refuses to take her ADHD medication and when she receives a failing grade on an important geography assignment, she decides that she might as well fail all of her classes. She...