First published 2019
Nine-year-old Emma stars in a hit television series, guided by her ambitious mother Paige, who pours her own failed Hollywood dreams into her daughter's career. Their world collapses when an unexpected tragedy strikes, leaving Emma without speech or memory. The little girl moves in with her aunt Whitney, a psychiatrist who deliberately chose a life far from the celebrity culture that defined their family. Whitney has built her world around her psychiatric practice and a casual relationship with a venture capitalist. She never wanted children. Now she must rebuild Emma from the ground up. The child who once commanded audiences is now silent and afraid, a shadow of the charismatic performer she was. Whitney assembles a team of doctors and caregivers to help Emma find her way back to herself. As Emma slowly begins to heal, she transforms everyone around her. Steel weaves a story about family bonds that emerge from crisis and the unexpected ways people can save each other.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, recovery
288 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press
Content warnings: mental-illness