Critical Praise

"The story is spellbinding, as are the beauty of the writing and the characters. "

———Toronto Globe and Mail

"A real gem, Hegland's first novel has all the charm and depth of such favorites as Snow Falling on Cedars and Cold Sassy Tree. "

———Austin American—Statesman

"Beautifully written ... impeccably authentic. "

———Kirkus Reviews

"First novelist Hegland writes simply and directly, which allows her to convey strong emotions. She has the ability to make the giant redwood trees seem palpable, to allow readers to breathe in the smell of the rich humus on the floor of the forest. Highly recommended. "

———Library Journal

"Hegland beautifully and realistically captures teenagers' silliness, anguish and strength. "

———Daily News, Los Angeles

"Hegland's sense of character is firm, warm, and wise. I greatly admire the knowledge of this fine first novel. "

———John Keeble, author of Yellowfish

"Imagistic, lyrical, and ecologically intelligent . . . Hegland writes with a poet's sensitivity and depth. "

———The Sunday Oregonian

"Hegland's powerfully imagined first novel will make readers thankful for telephones and CD players while it underscores the vulnerability of lives dependent on technology. . . . From the first page, the sense of crisis and the lucid, honest voice of the 17 year old narrator pulls the reader in, and the fight for survival adds an urgent edge to her coming of age story. . . . The plot draws readers along at the same time that the details and vivid writing encourage rereading. . . a truly admirable addition to a genre defined by the very high standards of George Orwell's 1984 and Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker. "

———Publishers Weekly(starred review)

"This beautifully written story captures the essential nature of the sister bond: the fierce struggle to be true to one's own self only to learn that true strength comes from what they are able to share together. "

———Carol Saline, co—author of Sisters and Mothers and Daughters

"[A] beautifully written and often profoundly moving novel. "

———San Francisco Chronicle

"Mesmerizing ... Hegland's sweet and sadly elegiac tale is an engrossing coming of age adventure. "

———Booklist