First published 2004
On Halloween night, five teenagers drive down a winding road in their quiet New England suburb. Their car hits a tree. Three die instantly. One walks away without injury. Another survives with devastating brain damage. Twelve months pass. The three dead teenagers find themselves pulled back to the world they left behind, drawn by the grief and memories of parents, friends, and lovers who cannot let them go. They return with unfinished business among the living. Marco, Danielle, and Kyle must complete one final task before they can truly leave. Their presence stirs up everything their small town tried to bury after the accident. The survivors struggle with guilt. The families wrestle with loss that refuses to heal. O'Nan transforms a familiar tragedy into something larger, revealing how a single moment of violence ripples through an entire community and refuses to stay buried.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: supernatural-elements, unfinished-business
Setting: New England
Period: Halloween, Twelve Months Later
Hardcover · Thorndike Press
Content warnings: death