Inspired by Judy Blume’s Forever and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, this novel that Andrew Smith calls “beautiful, enchanting, [and] exquisitely written” is a new classic about teenage relationships, self-acceptance—and what happens when the walls we build start coming down. A Kirkus Best Book of 2017!

Adam Thorn doesn’t know it yet, but today will change his life.

Between his religious family, a deeply unpleasant ultimatum from his boss, and his own unrequited love for his sort-of ex, Enzo, it seems as though Adam’s life is falling apart.  At least he has two people to keep him sane: his new boyfriend (he does love Linus, doesn’t he?) and his best friend, Angela.

But all day long, old memories and new heartaches come crashing together, throwing Adam’s life into chaos. The bindings of his world are coming untied one by one; yet in spite of everything he has to let go, he may also find freedom in the release.

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Monster Calls comes a raw, darkly funny, and deeply affecting story about the courage it takes to live your truth.

One day. One choice. And a collision of the real and the magical.

• Gay Romance: Navigating the heartache of a first love for his ex, Enzo, while discovering what might be real with his new boyfriend, Linus.
• A Preacher’s Son: Adam struggles to find his own truth while living under the yoke of his strict, evangelical father.
• Magical Realism: As Adam’s world unravels, a parallel story unfolds involving a murdered girl’s spirit and an ancient faun, blending the supernatural with the starkly real.
• Dual Narrative: Told with the same emotional depth as A Monster Calls, this story weaves two realities together over the course of a single, unforgettable day.