"Eerie and intriguing . . . captivates in the first few pages and
delivers a gripping, compelling story throughout."--Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
"Smith's excellent command of language gives life to arresting
characters and their creepy surroundings, keeping the suspense in this
dark environmental thriller running high."--Elle
It has been twenty years since Lucie Bowen left the islands--when the
May Day Quake shattered thousands of lives; when Lucie's father
disappeared in an explosion at the Marrow Island oil refinery, a tragedy
that destroyed the island's ecosystem; and when Lucie and her best
friend, Katie, were just Puget Sound children hoping to survive.
Now, Katie writes with strange and miraculous news. Marrow Island is no
longer uninhabitable and no longer abandoned. She is part of a community
that has managed to conjure life again from Marrow's soil. Lucie
returns. Her journalist instincts tell her there's more to this
mysterious "Colony" and their charismatic leader--a former nun with an
all-consuming plan--than its members want her to know. As she uncovers
their secrets, will Lucie endanger more than their mission? And what
price will she pay for the truth?
"Transporting."--Vanity Fair
"Beautifully wrought."--O, The Oprah Magazine
"Engrossing and atmospheric, a thorny meditation on environmental
responsibility with a big haunted heart."--Laura van den Berg,
Miami Herald**
