First published 2020
Lucas Baird has coasted through his twenties on charm and good looks, drinking his way through minor scams in Los Angeles. A difficult childhood gave way to an extended adolescence of easy cons and easier excuses. Then a freak accident forces him to run, landing him in Shorelane, a picture-perfect beach town on Long Island. What should be a fresh start becomes a nightmare when a drunken error traps Luke in mortal danger. His only hope lies with a group of local children who are as lost as he is, heading toward their own dark futures, and a young woman equally adrift. To survive, Luke must finally abandon his boyish ways and confront his own flawed choices. The children around him reveal both innocent cruelty and unexpected wisdom. Luke discovers that true maturity requires facing mortality, accepting responsibility for past mistakes, and finding courage when surrounded by unpredictable forces beyond his control.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Los Angeles, Shorelane, Long Island
Period: 21st-century
240 pages · Hardcover · Blackstone Publishing
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness