"Powerful, startling. . . . This book is a wonder."--Susie Finkbeiner, author of Stories That Bind Us and All Manner of Things

"Ultimately a survival story--how we survive the evils we have both committed and omitted on our terrible and beautiful journey home."--John Blase, poet and author

"A poetic, heartfelt meditation on guilt, grief, grace, and forgiveness, reminiscent of both Dante's Inferno and Lost."--Anne Bogel, creator of Modern Mrs Darcy and the What Should I Read Next? podcast

"Beauty and melancholy and hope and weight woven together. Not to be missed."--Andi Cumbo-Floyd, author of the Steele Secrets series

***

Once held captive and tortured on a mysterious mountain, Dan was lucky to have made it out alive. But freedom comes at a cost. Left with little memory of the horrific ordeal, Dan can recall one thing--his escape meant leaving his brother behind.

With each day that passes, Dan waits with the other survivors in hope of his brother's escape. But just as long-forgotten memories start rising to the surface, the sudden appearance of a wounded woman throws everything into question. As Dan struggles to know who to trust, he is caught once again in a paralyzing moral dilemma:

How far will he go to save the people he loves?


Shawn Smucker is the award-winning author of Light from Distant Stars, the young adult novels The Day the Angels Fell and The Edge of Over There, and the memoir Once We Were Strangers. He lives with his wife and six children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. You can find him online at www.shawnsmucker.com.