The Belief in Angels: Jules

*** 2018 WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARD

*** 2018 IAN BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

*** 2015 IPPY AWARD

A raw and haunting, coming-of-age novel about a courageous young girl, her tragedy, unique survival skills and divine intervention.

Growing up in her parents' crazy hippie household on a tiny island off the coast of Boston, Jules's imaginative sense of humor is the weapon she wields as a defense against the chaos of her family's household. Somewhere between routine discipline with horsewhips, gun-waving gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, tragedy strikes a blow from which Jules may never recover. Adversity requires her to find the will to live despite the suffering in her life--and she encounters, in her darkest moments, what could be explained as serendipity or divine intervention. For Jules, this experience offers the hope she needs to come to the rescue of her fractured life.

" . . . a young woman growing up in a dysfunctional family ... shaped by experiences of surviving pain through moments of grace. Yates shows much skill in description, characterization, and dialogue . . . insightful about the mental state of abused children . . . vividly evokes time and place. Well-written." -Kirkus Reviews

"A family saga . . . explores the darkest side of human nature--and the incontrovertible, uplifting power of hope." -Publishers Weekly 

*** 2015 KINDLE BOOK FESTIVAL

*** 2014 USA BEST BOOK AWARD 

*** 2015 LEAPFROG PRESS AWARD