Before the Snow Falls — Michael James

As Maine slips from fall into winter, Ryan, a twenty-seven year old junky, returns home after five years away to find Claire, a childhood friend, dying of cancer. Romance soon follows, but the reunion turns into much more than either could have expected, however, as a bloody run-in with a local reveals things about Ryan that were better off hidden. After witnessing these events, an expiring Claire is compelled to ask a favor of Ryan he may not be able to give, leading this couple on a painful journey fraught with love, drugs, and the heart-crushing task of living while dying.