When I Am Through with You

Early on in this relentlessly tense thriller, 17-year-old narrator Ben Gibson reveals that he killed his girlfriend, Rose, and is currently in jail. These revelations do nothing to lessen the suspense of the story that unfolds, which—like Kuehn’s (The Smaller Evil) previous books—delves into the psyches of conflicted and traumatized teens. Ben is less forthcoming about other information, such as the source of his debilitating migraine headaches, which slowly comes to the surface during an orienteering trip with several classmates, including Rosa, and a teacher on a nearby California mountain. The expedition does not go well, and personality clashes and questionable decisions give way to an encounter with a potentially dangerous group of strangers and a freak storm. And one of the teens has a gun. It’s a harrowing story that succeeds in keeping readers off-balance from start to finish as it explores the collision between desire and action in unpredictable physical and psychological landscapes. Ideal for fans of literary thrillers like Paul Griffin’s Adrift or Justine Larbalestier’s My Sister Rosa. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)