Thisluminous,hauntingdebut,alternatingbetweennowandthen,realityandmagic,tellsthestoryofagirlconfrontingheartbreakwhileatamysteriousrecoveryprograminthewilderness.Whenseventeen-year-oldEliarrivesatRaeth,aremotemountainretreatforteenswithmentalhealthissues,hermindismadeup--sheisnotinterestedinparticipating,andshedoesn’tneedto“heal.“Stillreelingfromabreakupthatleftbothherheartandfaithshattered,sheisdeterminedtofakebeing“fine“sothattheprogram’swardenwillclearhertoreturnhome.Buttheretreatitselfhasotherideas.Thevalley’smagicalsurroundingstransformeachtimesheventuresout,playingwithhermindanddredginguphergrief-ladenmemories.Despitethewarningsigns,Eliexploresmoreoftheareathanshehadeverplanned,evenventuringintothedangerousnightrealm.Thisspellbindingnovelmixesproseandpoetryintoanexquisiteandevocativeportraitoflove,grief,depression,andtheslowpathtowardhealing.
