The Pace of Nature

The Pace of Nature

At seven, Lilly thought the hardest thing she’d ever have to overcome was the accident and her brain injury. Little did she know that at sixteen she would face an even greater challenge: the daily humiliations, forced confessions, and psychological games at Forge Academy, a “therapeutic” boarding school that brainwashes parents as easily as their children.

At home, Lilly’s life spirals between shame and self-punishment. Haunted by her mother’s constant reminders of the accident, she lashes out at classmates, breaks things in anger, and ends up in the hospital after one of her worst episodes. Her body heals, but her self-worth doesn’t.

Lilly is desperate to change, to become someone her family could believe in again. But Forge Academy, the school meant to fix her, thrives on punishment disguised as progress. Classes are canceled for group shaming. Students stand for hours in the Arena of Shame. Meals are withheld. Every breath is a test of obedience.

Burdened by the learning difficulties that have always made her feel behind, Lilly fights to stay afloat in a place designed to break her. Then she meets Meisha, a gifted pianist whose talent and quiet confidence awaken something in her, a reminder that beauty can exist even in captivity. Shauna, her sharp-witted roommate, becomes both a lifeline and a mirror, showing Lilly what strength looks like under constant control. And Nora, the rule follower who betrays her in the worst way, teaches her how fragile trust can be.

But as Lilly begins to rise, the school’s power-hungry dean takes notice, crossing lines that threaten everything she’s built.

The Pace of Nature is a tense, emotionally charged story about resilience, first love, and the brutal systems that call themselves your savior. Inspired by true events from my life as a former student of Hyde School, a boarding school that claimed to help troubled teens but is now facing a lawsuit for emotional and physical abuse, this story was born from what I witnessed and survived. Hyde promised transformation but instead broke families apart through manipulation, humiliation, and control. I believe now is the right time for this story to be heard, as survivors everywhere begin to speak out and reclaim their voices.

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          Elizabeth Eslami, author of Hibernate, winner of The Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, says, “Fierce, tender, and real, Lilly DiFeo is that rare creature: a character you can root for. Her struggle for survival and redemption – on her own terms – broke my heart and showed me how the pieces fit together. Bountiful in its gifts, honest in its voice, The Pace of Nature is a marvel, and Britt DiGiacomo is a writer to watch.”

            Alex Gilvary, author of Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant, winner of the 2012 New York City book award, says, “Turning our lives into fiction is no easy task, but Britt DiGiacomo managed to tap into the past with subtleness, feeling, heart, and a moving, gut-wrenching, and at times infuriating story that shows a command of scene.”

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         The Pace of Nature is a two-novel series I began writing in July of 2009. Although The Pace of Nature is based on true events from my life, the story is written in the first person and told through my character, Lilly Difeo. It is my goal to traditionally publish the manuscript under the genre of literature fiction as a coming-of-age story.

         After I finished the first draft of the novel, it became clear that I needed to go back to school and continue my education.

         In fall of 2010 I attained my bachelor’s degree in English Literature, where I found my love of American, classical, and romantic literary works. Specifically, I delved into the writings of Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and the rest of the lost generation, along with Homer and Sappho, and perhaps most influential, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. My professors were supportive of my creative writing and allowed me to incorporate excerpts and drafts of The Pace of Nature into my final projects so that I could further explore my style and shape the tone of my story.

         During my senior year of college, one of my mentors suggested I look into applying to a Master of Fine Arts program so that I could continue my education in writing. I began the application process, applying to MFA programs with the specific goal of writing, crafting, and polishing the second draft of The Pace of Nature. I applied to eight MFA programs and got into three. I chose to attend Manhattanville College because I fell in love with the community when visiting, and because it offered fellowships for extracurricular opportunities; I served as production editor for the Manhattanville Review, the MFA program’s literary magazine, during my second year.

         During this time, I grew as a writer and worked hard at re-writing The Pace of Nature. I regularly met with my teachers who helped me understand the process of what it takes to be a published novelist in this day and age. I graduated with my MFA in 2014 with a full-form second draft of The Pace of Nature.             

            It has been a busy ten years since I started the first draft of The Pace of Nature. I have attained two degrees. I have pitched the novel to over a hundred agents and attended dozens of writers’ conferences, where I’ve had face-to-face time with editors and others involved in publishing. I’ve re-worked three different versions of The Pace of Nature, finding that my story grows stronger with each revision. It has been a long, bracing, hair-pulling process involving less and less sleep. But, nevertheless, The Pace of Nature is a story I love, and I am dedicated to getting it on the shelf.