Listen
by Nancy Coffelt
The lives of three people intersect unexpectedly in this unique, compelling story. There’s Will, an eighteen-year-old living alone since his mother died and his drug- and alcohol-addled brother was put in jail. Then there’s Kurt, a troubled, fourteen-year-old loner still reeling in the aftermath of his mother’s abusive boyfriend’s death, and his part in it. And there’s Carrie, a middle-aged schizophrenic who “hears” the thoughts of the abused and neglected neighborhood animals she rescues and brings home. When Carrie and Kurt connect, she agrees to pay him for each “stray” cat or dog he delivers. But when her “rescuing” goes one step too far, events spiral dangerously out of control. Told from alternating viewpoints, Listen is the haunting story of three people dramatically thrown together by fate, each struggling to come to terms with their harrowing past.
Praise for Listen:
Listen "Listen is a page-turner about three people burdened with unbearable secrets. It’s a story about loss, forgiveness, and unspeakable crimes. Nancy Coffelt makes you think about what we owe others—and what we owe ourselves."
—April Henry, author of Torched and Shock Point,
a 2007 YALSA Quick Pick
|
Pub Date: October 2009