First published 2017
Taliah Abdallat has written letters to Julian Oliver since she turned thirteen, never expecting the rock star from Staring Into the Abyss to actually appear at her house. But there he stands on her doorstep while her mother travels abroad, and suddenly everything shifts. Julian Oliver is her father. He asks Taliah to join him on a trip to his hometown, where she can meet the family she never knew existed. Taliah agrees to the three day journey, stepping into a world her mother kept hidden from her. She discovers pieces of her father's past, uncovers secrets about her own history, and learns truths about herself she never anticipated. The road trip becomes more than travel between cities. It transforms into an exploration of music, family bonds, and new friendships that reshape how Taliah sees her place in the world.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, music, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Staring Into the Abyss
309 pages · Kindle Edition · Hodder & Stoughton