First published 2004
Claire McKenzie watches a strange new student arrive at her high school on Hackett Island. Lani Garver puzzles everyone. No one knows Lani's age, background, or even gender. The tight community has never encountered anyone like this enigmatic teenager. While her classmates mock and torment the newcomer, Claire chooses a different path. She reaches out to Lani and forms an unlikely friendship. The other students turn against Claire for defending the outsider. Days after Lani's arrival, disaster strikes the island. Claire faces broken relationships and her own inner struggles. She begins to question everything she believed about reality. The tragedy forces Claire to confront whether supernatural beings might walk among ordinary people. Her connection to Lani becomes both a source of comfort and confusion as she navigates the aftermath.
Genres: mystery, supernatural, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Hackett Island
336 pages · Paperback · Clarion Books