First published 2012
A car accident throws baby Ruth from the wreckage, saving her life but killing her parents. Her grandmother takes her in and fills Ruth with dreams of university and travel. Ruth grows up in rural Australia with her best friend Fee, but everything changes when they finish school in 1959. Fee chooses marriage and babies. Ruth faces an impossible choice. She could stay for Tam Finn, the mysterious boy who captivates her like no one else. Or she could honor her grandmother's fierce hopes and leave their small town behind. Ruth knows what she should do, but Tam makes her question everything. Clarke follows Ruth through three pivotal summers as she navigates friendship, first love, and the weight of expectations. The story moves between past and future, showing how one moment can reshape an entire life.
Genres: 20th-century, coming-of-age, 21st-century, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Australia, Rural Australia
Period: 1959
247 pages · Paperback · Allen & Unwin