Seventeen-year-old Lucille and her 10-year-old sister, Wren, have been abandoned by their father (who went crazy) and their mother (who left town, leaving no forwarding information). Lucille is left to pay the bills, maintain the house and care for her sister. She’s worried that if anyone finds out, she and her sister will be placed in foster care, so her best friend, Eden, is the only person she can count on. To complicate things, Lucille has been secretly lusting after Eden’s twin brother, Digby.
Forced to find a job to make ends meet, Lucille applies to a local restaurant known for its knockout beautiful waitresses (think black hot pants and cleavage-revealing tank tops). Lucille hides her desperation through lies to Wren, Wren’s teachers, her boss and even to herself, refusing to ask for help while sinking further in quicksand. With Eden and Digby on Lucille’s side, things go smoothly—until they don’t. A series of events, including a huge plot twist that brings a new meaning to friendship, force Lucille to reveal her struggles.
Debut author Estelle Laure delivers an emotionally charged, artistic view of a world where parental abandonment and the fear and threat of state custody are very real. Lucille is externally strong yet internally fragile, while Wren is perceptive and displays an impeccable willingness to love and forgive. Laure captures the desperation for acceptance on a variety of levels in this poetic, heartbreaking read that will resonate with teens.
