Synopses & Reviews
andlt;B andgt;In this wrenching, exquisite coming-of-age novel, Friday discovers what makes a familyand#8212;and a home.andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Friday Brown has never had a home. She and her mother live on the road, running away from the past instead of putting down roots. So when her mom succumbs to cancer, the only thing Friday can do is keep moving. Her journey takes her to an abandoned house where a bunch of street kids are squatting, and an intimidating girl named Arden holds court.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Friday gets initiated into the group, but her relationship with Arden is precarious, which puts Fridayand#8212;and anyone who befriends herand#8212;at risk. With the threat of a dangerous confrontation looming, Friday has to decide between returning to her isolated, transient life, or trying to help the people sheand#8217;s come to care aboutand#8212;if she can still make it out alive.
Review
"The themes and subject matter may be darkand#8230;but this is far from being a novel without hope."
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andlt;divandgt;"Full of elegiac beauty and intelligent insights...this is a stunning contribution to young-adult fiction."andlt;/divandgt;
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"Wakefieldand#8217;s characters are one of the strengths of this young adult novel. They are diverse, compelling, multi-dimensional, loveable, despicableand#8230;.believable."
Review
"Deeply satisfying and surprisingly upbeat."
Review
"This is a pull-no-punches story about learning the truth and growing up, full of the preciousness of friendship and love."
Review
"Mesmerizing, embroidered with terrifying webs of intrigue and haunted by ghosts."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"The themes and subject matter may be darkbut this is far from being a novel without hope."andlt;/divandgt;
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andlt;divandgt;"Full of elegiac beauty and intelligent insightsthis is a stunning contribution to young-adult fiction."andlt;/divandgt;
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andlt;divandgt;"Deeply satisfying and surprisingly upbeat."andlt;/divandgt;
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andlt;divandgt;"Mesmerizing, embroidered with terrifying webs of intrigue and haunted by ghosts."andlt;/divandgt;
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"The themes and subject matter may be dark…but this is far from being a novel without hope." Australian Book Review
Review
"Full of elegiac beauty and intelligent insightsand#8230;this is a stunning contribution to young-adult fiction."
Review
"Wakefield’s characters are one of the strengths of this young adult novel. They are diverse, compelling, multi-dimensional, loveable, despicable….believable." Dominion Post Weekend (Australia)
Review
"Deeply satisfying and surprisingly upbeat." Listener (Australia)
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"This is a pull-no-punches story about learning the truth and growing up, full of the preciousness of friendship and love." Herald Sun (Australia)
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"Mesmerizing, embroidered with terrifying webs of intrigue and haunted by ghosts." Magpies Magazine (Australia)
Review
*Australian author Wakefield spins a tense, multilayered tale about loyalty, memory and survival... Imageryand#8212;a dust-filled ghost town, harrowing dreams of drowningand#8212;is vivid and evocative, and Fridayand#8217;s changing sense of herself and her relationship to her motherand#8217;s legacy give the story another layer of depth.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Lyrical, suspenseful and haunting.
Review
"Friday Brown may have left many places throughout her lifetime, but Wakefield's fantastic story is never leaving me. This book is for fans of Libba Bray and Martine Leavitt."
Review
"Friday's battle with grief and inheritance is tense and evocative from first page to last."
Review
"In her American debut novel, Australian Wakefield reveals herself to be a master of madness and suspense, rivaling such authors as Adele Griffin and Neal Shusterman....Wakefieldand#8217;s writing is gorgeous. She renders the Australian setting, from the slanted platforms at the train station to the red dust of the outback, with visceral detail, and her characters are disturbing, yet sketched with deep compassion for their lonely, wounded hearts.
Review
"Lyrical prose traces her [Friday's] path from lonesome grief to empowering connectedness, and itand#8217;s clear that coming to terms with the story of her past will ultimately free her to write the story of her future."
Synopsis
In this wrenching, exquisite coming-of-age novel, Friday discovers what makes a family—and a home.Friday Brown has never had a home. She and her mother live on the road, running away from the past instead of putting down roots. So when her mom succumbs to cancer, the only thing Friday can do is keep moving. Her journey takes her to an abandoned house where a bunch of street kids are squatting, and an intimidating girl named Arden holds court.
Friday gets initiated into the group, but her relationship with Arden is precarious, which puts Friday—and anyone who befriends her—at risk. With the threat of a dangerous confrontation looming, Friday has to decide between returning to her isolated, transient life, or trying to help the people she’s come to care about—if she can still make it out alive.