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A teen with drug-addled parents and a rare mental illness experiences her first taste of familial strength and loyalty in this young adult metaphysical thriller. Sixteen-year-old Ashlee Sutton believes she’s transcending her physical body and has occasional clairvoyance. Because of her parents’ addictions, Ashlee almost raises herself and is often forced to act as the sober adult in the family. Her father quickly embraces the possibility of acquiring a fortune using Ashlee’s psychic abilities to gamble. But the large financial windfall from their one and only casino jaunt fuels his accidental overdose.
Ashlee’s desperate mom, a part-time hair stylist, tracks down help in the form of colorful, cynical Mike Baker. She insists the retired journalist is her father-in-law and Ashlee’s real paternal grandfather. Battered by memories of an unfortunate childhood spent in foster and group homes and his rugged news assignments in the Gulf War and Afghanistan, Mike smells a scam and wants nothing to do with the situation. Soon, Ashlee’s mother has a mysterious accident, and Mike has no choice but to go on the run, targeted by a rogue cop and two perverted criminals determined to exploit Ashlee’s talents.
Ashlee’s and Mike’s viewpoints rotate in this first-person narrative, imbuing the gritty, award-winning story with intimacy and immediacy. The plot shoots backward and forward in time, meshing chapters like jigsaw puzzle pieces that gradually bring the story into focus. The unusual timeline mimics the chaotic lives of the troubled souls that inhabit the tale and bolsters the alternate reality that Ashlee navigates in her mind. Beamish brilliantly develops a sense of intrigue and adventure amidst the unpredictable emotional turmoil provoked by the idiosyncrasies of family and friendship. At once dark and uplifting, this title challenges preconceptions about neurodiversity, human nature, and our capacity for commitment and unconditional love.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review