May 9, 2022
In this carefully plotted, character-driven mystery, 17-year-old, mixed-race Black Luca Laine Thomas believes that Parris—her affluent, majority-white, and outwardly idyllic island home—is cursed. Luca’s best friend Polly Stern drowned three years ago, and Luca is convinced that her death wasn’t accidental, especially given the island’s history of young women who die mysteriously. After meeting rich Asian newcomer Naomi Fontaine, 17, Luca’s older sister Whitney is found dead. When the Parris police force proves inefficient, Luca resolves to investigate Whitney’s death herself. Everyone is under suspicion, including Luca’s ex-friend, detective’s daughter Jada Charles; Whitney’s best friend; and a former drug dealer. But when a harrowing secret threatens to hinder the inquiry, the teens come together to upend Parris society’s pristine reputation. Luca’s investigative prowess makes her an impressive heroine, but it’s Naomi and Luca’s romance that keeps the narrative fresh. Through Luca—whose acute sense of identity as a queer fat girl is exemplified in her sardonic telling—Barrow (Interview with the Vixen) examines themes of mental illness and self-worth, forgiveness, and acceptance. A beginning note contextualizes instances of suicidal ideation, self-harm, and sexual violence. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary and Media.
Starred review from April 15, 2022
The island of Parris looks picture perfect, and that's how the wealthy residents like it, despite the curse that every once in a while claims the life of a young woman. Seventeen-year-old Luca Laine Thomas' best friend, Polly, died three years earlier. Her death was deemed an accident, but Luca knows the truth lies elsewhere--in the curse that plagues the island but that no one else really believes in beyond childhood stories. Then the worst happens: Her beloved sister, Whitney, is found dead after a party, and Luca realizes the curse has finally come for her family. Now she needs to find answers before somebody else falls victim. Together with newcomer Naomi Fontaine (with whom Luca may be falling in love), she embarks on a dangerous investigation to discover the truth. But the process of unveiling the dark secrets of Parris and its rich, privileged, mostly White inhabitants leads them down a road of no return. With short chapters and a sparse, present-tense narrative, this contemporary novel fuses elements of mystery and romance as Luca's beautifully told coming-of-age story unfolds against a dark backdrop of death. Luca's grief, trauma, and mental illness are deftly explored and, juxtaposed with her strong sense of identity as a fat, Black, mixed-race, queer girl, provide a rich, empowering voice that carries this haunting story to a satisfying conclusion. Naomi is described as Asian. There is not a word wasted in this sad and harrowing tale. (Thriller. 14-adult)
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