Emergency Contact: 6 reasons this is one of the best young adult releases of 2018

4. Classism and homelessness are central themes of the novel

When it comes to relevant subjects, Emergency Contact doesn’t stop to pat itself on the back after addressing just one. The book also delves into the classist structures that surround poverty, allowing us a glimpse into this life through Sam’s eyes.

With an absent father and an alcoholic mother, Sam’s life has never been a cake walk. He was forced to grow up far earlier than he should have, and he’s had to forfeit many of his childhood dreams as a result. He holds onto his aspiration to become a filmmaker, but Choi uses this to demonstrate just how difficult it can be to pursue an unconventional career path without money. At one point, one of the characters even asks him why he’d bother to chase a “rich kid’s dream.”

Sam also resorts to living in the space behind the coffee shop he works at, a room generously offered to him by the shop’s owner. And while Sam refers to himself as “almost homeless,” and isn’t necessarily begging on the streets, his situation also exhibits how easily poverty can escalate — and how situations like these don’t necessarily stem from bad decisions. Sam works to make ends meet, and he attempts to better himself whenever he can. Unfortunately, these things aren’t always enough.

Choi contrasts Sam’s experiences with Penny’s, as well as with her rich roommate’s. She makes it clear how much easier it is to stay afloat when people have comfortable upbringings. Given many of the false beliefs surrounding poverty, this is an important distinction to make.