Everyone in her small Jamaican town of Sycamore understands that Clara, 12, who used to love surfing, doesn't go near the water anymore. Clara knows it's because of what happened the previous summer, she just doesn't remember what actually took place -no one is willing to talk about it, Clara most of all. She's since had a falling out with her former best friend and cousin, Gaynah, unable to tolerate Gaynah's meanness anymore. Clara is aware the silence surrounding what happened isn't the only thing people don't talk about in her family and town. There is the mystery surrounding her Uncle Eldorath, who lives a solitary life away from the village, vilified by rumors started by their pastor for reasons no one will explain to her. And there's been silence of a different kind in the life of Ms. Gee in the years of estrangement from her daughter in New York, although that may finally be changing; Ms. Gee's visiting granddaughter, Rudy, is Clara's new friend. There's a stunning surprise near the end of this story in which healing for Clara begins with acknowledging the trauma, grief, and loss of her past. A novel imbued with a marvelous sense of place also examines the complexities of community and human nature through singular characters whose actions occasionally undermine but most often sustain one another. (Ages 9-12)