A Scar Like a River

Graff (Rewind) infuses viscerally rendered realities of lingering trauma with moments of lightheartedness to deliver a meticulously calibrated work about a girl who refuses to be defined by her past. Thirteen-year-old Fallon Little has three secrets. She’s never told anyone all three, and her best friend Trent is the sole person who knows the third-biggest one: her mother’s brother physically assaulted Fallon when she was five, resulting in a large facial scar. When her uncle dies suddenly, Fallon feels compelled to tell everyone at the funeral the origin of her scar but loses her nerve at the last moment; a subsequent emotional outburst prompts her parents to send her to therapy. Then her mother’s sister, Aunt Lune, moves in with the Littles to help them manage her mother’s mysterious worsening illness, disrupting family dynamics—and causing Fallon’s other two long-buried secrets to resurface. As she struggles to keep a lid on her painful memories, Fallon launches a protest against the school musical, Hello, Dolly!, alienating her friends and classmates. But a chance encounter at group therapy with her seemingly perfect classmate Stella prompts Fallon to face her past. Funny and compassionate Fallon’s sunny narration accessibly explores heavy topics such as abuse at the hands of a family member, the psychological effects of a lasting injury, and the weight of keeping secrets. Main characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. (Feb.)