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[Young Adult Fiction (Ages 12-17) ]Alternating between a third-person account of his senior year and his letters from death row, a young man untangles the chain of devastating circumstances that led to his conviction. Powerful, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking, this novel about friendship, regret, and redemption is for fans of NPR's Serial podcast and Marieke Nijkamp's This Is Where It Ends. Best friends since childhood, Luke and Toby have always had each other's backs. And soon they will leave their small town, riding the tails of Luke's wrestling scholarship, and never return -- if they don't drift apart first. Luke is dealing with an unwelcome change in his home situation, one that could take his younger brothers away. Meanwhile Toby's father, an abusive alcoholic, has started taking more of an interest in Toby, and Luke is worried that when that interest becomes too intense, Toby won't be able to defend himself. Bryan Bliss's hard-hitting third novel is told in points of view that alternate between Luke's letters to Toby from death row and a third-person account of Luke and Toby's senior year, expertly unfolding the circumstances that led to Luke's incarceration. Tense and emotional, this searing novel explores family abuse, sex, love, friendship, and the lengths people will go to, to protect the ones they love.



About the Author

Bryan Bliss

Bryan Bliss is the author of the National Book Award longlist title We'll Fly Away, as well as Thoughts & Prayers, Meet Me Here, and No Parking at the End Times. He holds master's degrees in theology and fiction and has worked as a curriculum designer and developer and as a youth pastor. His nonfiction has been published in Image Journal, along with various other newspapers, magazines, and blogs. He lives with his family in St. Paul, Minnesota.



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