Chloe wishes that everything could just go back to normal—that Mom would come home from the hospital and Dad would start acting like a dad again. But it doesn’t look like either of those things will be happening anytime soon, and with her older sister sneaking out every night, Chloe is left at home to be the responsible caretaker of their little brother, Micah, who rarely speaks.
Shana is trying to escape her problems by hiding under black and white makeup and getting lost in the crowd of her Goth friends. Like Chloe, Shana wishes her life could go back to normal, but for reasons Chloe can’t understand, Shana never, ever, wants their mother to come home.
As things go from bad to worse, the sisters are forced to band together and redefine what it means to be a family.
Author
Brad Barkley
Brad Barkley is the author of two adult novels (Money, Love and Alison’s Automotive Repair Manual) and two story collections, the most recent of which is Another Perfect Catastrophe. Two of his books have been Booksense 76 selections. His short stories have appeared in over thirty magazines. He lives in western Maryland where he teaches fiction writing and raises two children, both too smart for their own good.
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Heather Hepler
Heather Hepler grew up in North Texas. She has lived in Reno, on the coast of Maine, in the interior of Alaska, and near Death Valley, but she currently is being held against her will in Tyler, Texas. She holds a Master’s in Library Science from the University of North Texas and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She works as a reviewer for VOYA, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Media Connection, and The New York Times. Her first novel, Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (Dutton) is set for release in May 2006. The second, The Dream Factory (Dutton) will be released Spring 2007. Her writing has also appeared in the Southwest Review and the Cincinnati Review.
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