Three years after leaving her family behind on the idyllic lighthouse island where she grew up, 17-year-old Elizabeth "Squid" McCrae returns, full of anger and accusations and eager to confront her father about a family tragedy. But as a ghostly voice from the past sparks her memories, Squid soon realizes that nothing is exactly as she thought it was, and no one-not even herself-is completely free from blame. The award-winning author of The Wreckers presents a keen exploration of the way family works to make us who we are.
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"Relfective, artful, and realistic. It portrays just what coming home can be like--the impossibility, the saddness, and the never-ending, desperate hope that things will be different. "
— Rebecca (4 out of 5 stars)
“Lawrence charts the course of the human heart, with cascading emotions of remorse and fury, love and passion, hope and nostalgia…With adult characters every bit as memorable as the teen characters, plus its stunning ability to create a sense of the island’s rhythms and habitat, Lawrence’s novel not only lives up to the high standards of his previous works, but may well attract a wide adult readership.”
— Publishers Weekly" This book is so heartbreakingly sad. The main character squid gets on my nerves though. "
— Emma, 12/9/2013" The story was okay, but the writing was a little bit cheesy. "
— Amy, 11/27/2013" I don't know, this might be a good book. But I just wasn't feeling it, and didn't want to waste my time anymore when I have a stack of books I'm excited to read. So I gave myself permission to not finish! "
— Sandra, 8/6/2013" Appreciate what you have now and be content. "
— R2b, 7/4/2013" This is a melancholy book about a family living isolated on an island maintaining the lighthouse. I thought the mystery of the son's demise was interesting. There's a little bit of matter-of-fact ual talk. "
— Kelsey, 4/10/2013" Incest and the search for truth :) "
— Adz, 6/26/2012" Young teen book. Bought it for my daughter ages ago and decided to read it. Pretty disappointing considering the premise of the book. Kept thinking it would get better but alas, no. "
— Karin, 4/12/2012" This book was possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. It was creepy and really confusing. "
— Madeline, 3/2/2012" I chose this book because of the setting; a remote island off the coast of BC. The synopsis made it look good, and I tried to like it. However I found it to be a slow, strange little YA book. "
— Shar, 2/8/2012" A novel that both my husband and I like, which is a somewhat rare occurrence. Excellent writing--weird but good. "
— elissa, 5/30/2011" Relfective, artful, and realistic. It portrays just what coming home can be like--the impossibility, the saddness, and the never-ending, desperate hope that things will be different. "
— Rebecca, 12/20/2010" Appreciate what you have now and be content. "
— R2b, 9/12/2010" Young teen book. Bought it for my daughter ages ago and decided to read it. Pretty disappointing considering the premise of the book. Kept thinking it would get better but alas, no. "
— Karin, 7/2/2010" This book was possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. It was creepy and really confusing. "
— Madeline, 3/13/2010" This is a melancholy book about a family living isolated on an island maintaining the lighthouse. I thought the mystery of the son's demise was interesting. There's a little bit of matter-of-fact ual talk. "
— Kelsey, 5/13/2009" A novel that both my husband and I like, which is a somewhat rare occurrence. Excellent writing--weird but good. "
— elissa, 12/3/2007Iain Lawrence is a bestselling children’s author. Before becoming a fiction writer, he studied journalism at Vancouver Community College and spent ten years working for small newspapers in northern British Columbia. He is the author of The Wreckers, The Giant Slayer, The Smugglers, The Winter Pony, and others. Lawrence won the prize for Children’s Literature from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2007. He lives in the Gulf Islands with his partner, Kristen.
Ed Sala has narrated dozens of audio books throughout his career. His readings include Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, Stephen Sears’ Gettysburg, and Cormac MacCarthy’s Outer Dark.