First published 2008
Vicky Austin sees her family falling apart. Her brother heads off to college while her sister moves away. The Austins leave their quiet country house behind for urban living, but they decide to take one last adventure together first. They plan a cross country road trip that quickly turns into chaos. Severe storms strike without warning. Wild creatures threaten their safety at every turn. The family discovers they prepared poorly for wilderness travel. Every fresh catastrophe strains their already weakening connections. Vicky wonders about her place in this shifting family structure as her parents fight to keep everyone united. The open road challenges every assumption the Austins held about their capabilities. Crisis after crisis forces Vicky to discover reserves of resilience and resolve she never knew she possessed. Their simple plan to reach a new destination transforms into a profound journey of self discovery.
Genres: adventure, coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult, realistic-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, introspective, suspenseful, transformative
Tropes: coming-of-age, crisis-bonding, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Period: 20th-century
288 pages · Paperback · Square Fish
Content warnings: death