by Gail Godwin
Helen's world keeps shrinking. Her mother died years ago. Her grandmother just passed away. Now her father leaves for Oak Ridge to work on a secret military project during the war's final months. At ten, Helen cannot stay alone in the family house that holds all her memories and stories. Her father brings in Flora, her late mother's twenty-two-year-old cousin, to watch over her for the summer. Flora means well but cries easily and feels overwhelmed by the responsibility. Helen burns with imagination and determination to preserve everything about her home and family history. She sees Flora as an intruder who might disturb the careful balance she has created with her ghosts and memories. The two must navigate their awkward arrangement while Helen's father works on what will become the atomic bomb. Their summer together creates a bond and conflict that will shape Helen's understanding of family, loss, and growing up in a changing America.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Oak Ridge
Period: World War II
Hardcover · Charnwood