A powerful novel about the effects of domestic violence opens as teenage Jace arrives at the apartment of his older brother, whom he hasn’t seen in five years. Christian fled their abusive home when Jace was eleven. He’d spent years trying to prevent their father from beating and berating their mother, until it was no longer safe for him to stay. Jace took over the role of their mother’s protector, and now their dad has thrown him out. Christian is far from thrilled to see Jace—he has dealt with the past by distancing himself from it both literally and emotionally, and Jace is a reminder he can’t ignore. As the story unfolds, scenes from the past—awful things they both witnessed and endured—play out, as do the effects on their lives. For Jace, one of these is the anger he can sometimes barely control. He hit his girlfriend before he fled home, and he’s terrified of turning into their father. Swati Avasthi’s first novel is a hard but ultimately hopeful story as the brothers struggle to confront the pain of their past. Realizing that they cannot rescue their mother is one of the hardest of many difficult truths they must accept. While a few of the secondary plot details seemed glossed over, the story gets right the dynamics and the consequences of abuse. (Age 14 and older)

Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father's fist), $3.84, and a secret.

He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can't make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.

At least so far.

Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. First-time novelist Swati Avasthi has created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you've said enough, after you've run, after you've made the split—how do you begin to live again? Readers won't be able to put this intense page-turner down.