OUTSIDE WAS FORBIDDEN. IT WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT HAD NO WALLS OR ROOF TELLING YOU WHEN TO STOP.

Hester Wakefield has never spoken to any person other than her parents, or seen the outside world. Her days consist of religious observance, chores, and punishments, and the only solace she has is in her one possession --- an illustrated children’s Bible --- and spending time with her “friends” door, broom, cat, and spoon, who talk to her and sometimes tell her what to do. One day, at the urging of Handle, Hester ventures outside and is overwhelmed by the beauty of sunshine, sky, and trees. From this moment on, Hester learns that there are some things she cannot tell her parents, and she keeps this adventure to herself. Hester’s secrets begin to grow and she keeps them locked away in the shadowy corners of her insular world, waiting until she can find other ways to be free. It is only after Hester’s innocence becomes experience that she finds the strength to take action, and all that she has endured in her short life culminates in a climactic moment that will change her forever.

One Foot Wrong challenges the boundaries of right and wrong, sanity and madness, love and justice, poetry and life. Hester’s story is often dark and harrowing, but the impact of her distinctive voice and way of seeing the world illuminates every page and makes this novel an exhilarating, enlightening and, ultimately, an uplifting and transformative experience.