Unclaimed Baggage

In this debut young adult novel from journalist (and noted YA lit expert) Jen Doll, three teens in Alabama learn to move on from the baggage that's been holding them back.

In Jen Doll's young adult debut novel, Unclaimed Baggage, Doris―a lone liberal in a conservative small town―has mostly kept to herself since the terrible waterslide incident a few years ago. Nell had to leave behind her best friends, perfect life, and too-good-to-be-true boyfriend in Chicago to move to Alabama. Grant was the star quarterback and epitome of "Mr. Popular" whose drinking problem has all but destroyed his life.

What do these three have in common? A summer job working in a store called Unclaimed Baggage cataloging and selling other people's lost luggage. Together they find that through friendship, they can unpack some of their own emotional baggage and move on into the future.

About the Author

Jen Doll is the author of the young adult novel, Unclaimed Baggage which was a New York Times Staff Pick, an NPR Best Book of 2018, a Buzzfeed Best YA Book and a Cosmo Best New Book of 2018. She is also the author of the memoir, Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest. She's written for The Atlantic, Elle, Esquire, Glamour, GQ, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Vice, The Village Voice, The Week, and many other publications. She grew up in Alabama and lives in upstate New York.