A heartbreaking novel about two siblings, their tumultuous home life, and the shocking relationship they form to survive it . . .

Neglected by an irresponsible, alcoholic mother, Lochan and Maya take care of their three younger siblings. Just seventeen and sixteen, they have the stressful responsibilities of parenthood. The situation has made them emotionally closer than a brother and sister usually are. And now they have fallen in love.

Their clandestine romance grows ever more intense, even as they know it has to stop. quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. Sooner or later, a secret like this one is going to turn explosive . . .

“The novel’s surprises continue to the very end, and the secondary characters are well developed, including the needy younger siblings, who are shown in all their anger, sweetness, and rebellion. Most of all, though, it’s Lochan’s and Maya’s alternating first-person, present-tense narratives, both tender and heartbreaking, that will stay with readers.” —Booklist