The Minnow

Winner of the publisher's Text Prize, Sweeney%E2%80%98s first novel is a powerful touchstone of longing and melancholy. Tom%E2%80%94as in Tomboy, as in Holly Thomas%E2%80%94is a 15-year-old wordsmith still reeling from the Mother's Day flood that decimated her town and killed numerous residents, including her parents and younger sister. When Tom discovers she is pregnant by Bill, one of her father's friends and her unofficial guardian, she opts for a makeshift life with her best friend Jonah instead, offering her support as he struggles with his own orphanhood and sexuality. With only Jonah and her grandmother to rely on as she prepares for baby Minnow, Tom navigates between reality and waking dreams, where conversations with her dead grandfather, animals from the pet shop, and mermaids abound, and where she can ignore the police's questions about Bill. Town characters are sharply drawn and memorable, particularly the residents of the nursing home Tom visits. Sweeney expertly moves between memories and time periods, creating a patchwork narrative that pulls readers toward answers just below the surface. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (Apr.)