March 28, 2016
A young man with the ability to steal memories and other aspects of a person’s identity learns the cost of his power in this unnerving tale of supernatural suspense. Aspen Quick’s family has secretly protected their small upstate New York town for generations, using their gifts to conduct a periodic ritual to keep the cliff that looms over Three Peaks from collapsing. Aspen also uses his powers for his own benefit—stealing sobriety in order to drink without consequence or stealing his best friends’ love for each other so he can act on a long-hidden crush. As the summer wears on, he runs into a girl immune to his powers and eventually discovers the source of his family’s oddness, as well as dark secrets that threaten to upset their carefully maintained status quo. Ribar (The Art of Wishing) sets up an intriguing premise and explores Aspen’s abilities in provocative ways. The coercive, nonconsensual nature of Aspen’s family’s powers makes for deeply unsettling reading, and Aspen’s recognition of this comes slow and late in the process, and isn’t entirely convincing. Ages 12–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.