Three stories, one event

“Mrs. Hoffman, one of the two original teachers Noah brought over on the ark, is carrying on about sentence structure and why “the teens” in her classroom have pretty much made a deal with the devil with all their texting and social media because now nobody cares about grammar or pretty much anything and that’s when she literally, like, seriously, clutches at the pearl necklace she always wears, ready to stroke out right there in front of us.”

“[A] richly realized novel . . . Divided into three parts . . . each part is nearly long enough to have been published as a standalone novel . . . The theme, of course, is a powerful one, and it is passionately and successfully presented in this inarguably important book, which offers no glib answers but invites serious thought and discussion.” -- Booklist (starred review)

"In his unflinching and resonant new novel, Bryan Bliss shows that there is no straight line through trauma, no easy recipe for healing. Instead, in three loosely connected stories of young people bound by an all-too familiar tragedy, he deftly illuminates the small moments of human connection and resolve that might just lead to a place of grace." -- Gayle Forman, bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way

“About one year ago, three students cowered together under a staircase during a mass shooting in their school. Now, each one is attempting to move on with life in their own way. . . . The characters are real and likable, and their trauma is honest and raw. Bliss raises unanswerable questions that will allow teenage readers room to reflect and debate. An affecting story of trauma and healing.”

-- Kirkus Reviews

“A year after a school shooting, three teens share their stories. . . . Though showing signs of light, the characters' recovery is far from over by the book’s end, which rings authentically untidy. . . . Each story is a separate meditation on the ways a horrific event can turn a life upside down.”

-- School Library Journal

“[An] affecting narrative triptych. . . . In each memorable narrative thread, characters are distinct and carefully drawn . . . The three stories do yield 'an honest picture of healing after trauma,' as the author hopes.”

-- Horn Book Magazine