"Leav captures adolescent girlhood and friendship
with incredible specificity . . . . This beautiful coming-of-age story wrapped
inside a literary mystery is melancholic and deeply reflective as it explores
how the past shapes us." — Booklist, starred review
A young woman’s life spirals out of her control after her
childhood best friend publishes a memoir that discusses the tragic events of
their childhood, in this beautiful, powerful novel from the internationally
bestselling author of Others Were Emeralds.
Mei’s life isn’t what she thought it would be. She's still
entangled in a love triangle with Jacques and Kath that began when they were
teens; her parents are drowning in debt; and she’s stuck pulling off identity
fraud jobs for her cruel auntie and her auntie’s nauseating son, who won’t
leave Mei alone.
But Mei’s world begins to truly unravel when she hears her
childhood best friend Soey’s voice for the first time in years, being
interviewed on the radio about her new memoir, chronicling the childhood attack
that left Soey with brain damage and killed her younger sister. When Mei
reconnects with Soey, the leader of their childhood friend group known as the
Daisy Chain, their encounter kicks off a series of events that culminate in
another shocking death, putting Mei squarely in the public eye. As past and present
collide, Mei starts spiraling after Soey implores her to find out who killed
Daiyu—a search that leads Mei to uncover what happened that dark day in the
woods behind their school, all those years ago.
Revered for her lyrical imagery, emotional acumen, and
thoughtful voice, Lang Leav uses her gifts to brilliant effect, exploring
unsolved mysteries, cycles of trauma and abuse, and the answers to a timeless
question: how do you honor someone's memory without losing sight of yourself?
About the Author
Novelist and poet Lang Leav was born in a
refugee camp after her family fled the Khmer Rouge.
She grew up in Sydney, Australia, in the predominantly
migrant town of Cabramatta. She is the internationally bestselling author of
several books of poetry, including Love & Misadventure, the
YA novel Sad Girls, and the adult novel Others Were
Emeralds.
Among her many achievements, Lang is the winner
of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, the Churchill Fellowship, and
