Sunburn

The ecstasy and devastation of first love illuminate this tender debut from Howarth. It begins in 1989 with narrator Lucy, 15, reflecting on life during summer break in her small town of Crossmore, Ireland: “I spend my days waiting for something to happen.” She passes her time with a group of girls she doesn’t especially like, and who make her feel like an outsider. Lucy, however, has a secret: She’s in love with Susannah, a “dazzling” member of her friend group. When, against all odds, Susannah returns her feelings two years later, Lucy believes her life has “finally started.” But in conservative Crossmore, their relationship isn’t just taboo, it can’t exist. To quell suspicions, Lucy pretends to return the affections of her longtime admirer and best friend, Martin. Susannah, however, is done with living “in secret” and compels Lucy to make a devastating choice the following summer. Howarth’s wrenching and beautifully written bildungsroman captures Lucy’s slow and then suddenly fast journey into adulthood as she tries to find where she belongs. It’s enchanting. Agent: Elizabeth Counsell, Northbank Talent. (July)