First published 2008
An aging narrator sits down to write about a winter from his youth that changed everything. He recalls a runaway girl who became his first kiss and first love. She possessed an unusual gift for seeing the future by gazing into candle flames, like a modern match girl from fairy tales. This mysterious young woman taught him lessons about life that no one else ever would. When she disappeared from his world, his innocence went with her. Now, decades later, he feels compelled to tell their story, even though dredging up these memories feels dangerous. The past refuses to stay buried. It has grown inside him like ivy on a house, slowly pulling at the foundation of who he became. His memory and eyesight may have dimmed with age, but some truths have become clearer. He knows too many secrets were kept during those days. Some secrets should never have been hidden, while others should have stayed buried forever.
Genres: literary-fiction, coming-of-age, magical-realism, contemporary-romance
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: second-chance, unreliable-narrator
Period: Youth, Decades Later
316 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster