A Sky for Us Alone
-
-
3.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
“A stirring, powerful, and heart-wrenching story of coming of age, falling in love, and trying to lead a life of dignity.” —Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King
In Strickland County—a forgotten stretch of land in Southern Appalachia—there isn’t a lot of anything to go around. But when eighteen-year-old Harlowe Compton’s brother is killed by the Praters—the family who controls everything, from the mines to the law to the opioid trade—he wonders if the future will ever hold more than loss.
Until he meets Tennessee Moore. Even as she struggles with the worst of the cards she’s been dealt, Tennessee makes Harlowe believe that they can dare to forge their own path. But as Harlowe searches for the answers behind his brother’s death, his town’s decay, and his family’s dysfunction, he discovers truths about the people he loves—and himself—that are darker than he ever expected.
Now, Harlowe realizes, there’s no turning back.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In rural southern Appalachia, where many toil away in the mines and the opioid epidemic has devastated communities, the body of Harlowe Compton's older brother, Nate, is dumped on the family's front porch on Harlowe's 18th birthday. Harlowe is certain the Praters, the most powerful family in Strickland County, are responsible, and he worries that Nate's death is part of a larger drug-related conspiracy. Both his growing affection for Tennessee Moore, daughter of the abusive new foreman at the Praters' mine, and his inquiry into his brother's death spur Harlowe to make a choice between a future in Strickland County or striking out into the unknown. The romance between Harlowe and Tennessee is the story's focus, but Harlowe's relationships with his family, both biological and chosen, will linger most with readers. Debut author Russell faithfully renders the distinctive cultural norms and stark realities of Appalachian life, including the depth of poverty, while reminding readers of the region's beauty and resilience. Along the way, she sends a subtle message that embracing one's background, rather than fighting against it, can provide a road to the future. Ages 13 up.)
