Synopses & Reviews
A hopeful -- and tender -- look at family and growing up.
When Liv was born, her mother died. Her father, Mark Trager, handed her over to her grandmother "like a bundle of laundry." Now her beloved Gran has died and Mark is the only family Liv has. All she knows is that he lives in California and dives for abalone. She has to leave New York to live with him, but that doesn't mean she has to forgive him for abandoning her. Samantha, his girlfriend, is an unexpected gift, someone Liv can really talk to, but even Sam can't bring father and daughter together. There's Brian Spinuchi, too. He's her father's tender, responsible for his lifeline as he dives, but not the type she could ever fall for. Or is he? When Spinuchi breaks his arm, Liv, a city girl, must become her father's tender. Once the two head out to sea, they find themselves confronting a reality that will change their relationship forever. Valerie Hobbs's latest novel is about overcoming the fears that isolate us.
Review
"In this sensitive novel, Hobbs (Carolina Crow Girl) chronicles the insecurities of a New York teen whose life is turned upside-down after a family tragedy . . . Introducing a cast of complex, convincingly vunerable characters and possessing a keen understanding of adolescent moods and concerns, the author creates a taunt psychological drama." --
Publishers WeeklyAbout the Author
Valerie Hobbs is the recipient of the 1999 PEN/Norma Klein Award and the author of Carolina
Crow Girl and
Charlie's Run. She lives in Santa Barbara, California.