After a lifetime of moving from town to town whenever her free-spirited mother feels like a change, Nina longs to settle down and have friends like a other teens. When they arrive in a small city in Vermont, she thinks this could be the place - but her mother Joyce is less convinced. The more Nina tries to become a part of the community, the harder her mother works to keep her apart from neighbours and friends. But is there a motive behind her actions, and their constant moves? When Nina's questions force them to go on the run, a lifetime of lies peel slowly back to reveal a shocking secret - one that will change their lives forever, and not for the better.

Amy Ehrlich is a gifted writer who creates prose that her readers are expected to consider. Just as there are no simple solutions in life, so are they absent from her stories, and yet she manages to infuse her writing with a glimmer of hope, a chance for salvation. Most writers would shy away from an adolescent character that rebelled by asking for security and relationships, but Ehrlich's unflinching portrayal of Nina steers clear of clichés and relies instead on a first-person narrative full of painful truths.

2007-12-30