One cold fall day, high school junior Liz Emerson steers her car into a tree. This haunting and heartbreaking story is told by a surprising and unexpected narrator and unfolds in nonlinear flashbacks even as Liz's friends, foes, and family gather at the hospital and Liz clings to life. This riveting debut will appeal to fans of Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver, and 13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.
"On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton's laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road." Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? The nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High's most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn't understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn't understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang's haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.
Download and start listening now!
“Narrator Julia Whelan’s voice is
calm and clear as she presents an unvarnished picture of Liz Emerson, who
dominates her world, bending others to her will while shielding herself from
the consequences…Expertly managing a nonlinear story filled with a wide range
of characters, Whelan delivers a compelling performance. There’s a significant
amount of disturbing content—bullying, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual assault—and
Whelan doesn’t shy away from portraying the emotional fallout as she movingly
delivers the reasons behind Liz’s actions.”
—
AudioFile