For 16-year-old Geth Montego, zero o'clock begins on March 11, 2020.
By June, she wonders if it will ever end.
"An insightful, eye-opening, and inventive story. C.J. Farley has penned
a novel that sheds an important light on real issues facing young people
today." (Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give)
"Zero O'Clock is a beautiful and timely YA novel that is both
heartbreaking and whip smart, a glimpse into the world of virtual
friendship, classrooms, and pop stardom." (Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg,
author of The Nine)
"Thoughtful, provocative, and pounding with the fast-paced beat of a
sharp-witted adolescent mind, Zero O'Clock is the story of a Jamaican
American teen girl at the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in
New Rochelle, New York. C.J. Farley has created an irresistible heroine
in Geth Montego. Simmering with justifiable anger at everything from the
cancellation of her senior prom to racial injustices and police
brutality, Geth manages to overcome grief, anxiety, and confusion to
discover a new sense of herself and her ability to create change."
(Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party)
"Zero O'Clock seems to have a direct line into the mindset of a modern
teenager. I enjoyed it immensely!" (Alex Wheatle, author of Cane
Warriors)
In early March 2020 in New Rochelle, New York, teenager Geth Montego is
fumbling with the present and uncertain about her future. She only has
three friends: her best friend Tovah, who's been acting weird ever since
they started applying to college; Diego, who she wants to ask to prom;
and the K-pop band BTS, because the group always seems to be there for
her when she needs them (at least in her head).
She could use some help now. Geth's small city becomes one of the first
COVID-19 containment zones in the US. As her community is upended by the
virus and stirred up by the growing Black Lives Matter protests, Geth
faces a choice and a question: Is she willing to risk everything to
fight for her beliefs? And if so, what exactly does she believe in? C.J.
Farley captures a moment in spring 2020 no teenager will ever forget. It
sucks watching the world fall apart. But sometimes you have to start
from zero.
