With shades of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and Courtney Summers's
Sadie, this dark and twisted mystery set in a divided Maine seaside
town simmers with unresolved tensions and unpredictable truths.
Everyone in Tenney's Harbor knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an
unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family
members. But what people don't know is who did it.
All fingers point at Pearl Haskins' father, who was the caretaker of the
property, but Pearl just doesn't believe it. Leave it to a town of rich
people to blame "the help."
With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze
benders, Pearl's future doesn't hold much more than waiting tables at
the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and
spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison,
and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of
sitting in Pearl's section. Though she's repulsed by most of them,
Tristan's quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her
judgments.
Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing
her father's name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be
searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of
secrets, lies, and betrayals that would leave no life unchanged...if it
doesn't take hers first.
