Tree is fourteen and angry. Her mother works constantly, leaving Tree to watch over her brother Dab, who has developmental disabilities. Tree feels trapped by these responsibilities and bitter about her situation. Everything changes when she begins seeing Brother Rush, the spirit of her deceased uncle. Through these supernatural encounters, Brother Rush shows Tree glimpses of her family's past. She learns about events that shaped her mother's choices and discovers painful truths about Dab's condition. As Tree pieces together her family's history, she begins to understand why her mother made the decisions she did. The ghost visits force Tree to see beyond her own frustration and recognize the love and sacrifice that have defined her family. Her anger slowly transforms into compassion as she gains insight into the burdens her mother has carried alone.
Genres: fiction, family, 20th-century, african-american, supernatural, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Library Binding
Content warnings: mental-illness