From Lammy Award finalist and author of Orpheus Girl, this lyrical and emotional YA novel follows a teen as she unravels a personal mystery in the wake of her older sister’s death.
A discovery of authentic self and sapphic love—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Lily Braun-Arnold.
Seventeen-year-old Isadora is reeling after the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni. Her grieving parents can’t offer much support—her only reprieve is her close friend Ani, but lately the intensity of her feelings for Ani have been more confusing than comforting. Then Isadora discovers secret letters in Eleni’s belongings that suggest her artist sister was hiding more from her family than Isadora ever expected . . . including a long-term girlfriend, Ćazi.
Reeling from this discovery, Isadora travels to her uncle’s apartment in New York City, where Eleni lived, determined to unravel the threads of her sister’s life. As she searches for Ćazi, Isadora embraces her own sexuality—and begins to fall in love. But can she learn to live when Eleni will never have the same chance?
Heartbreaking and healing, this gut-punch of a novel is an essential read for anyone who’s ever lost—and loved.
Praise for Orpheus Girl “Raya and Sarah's story is a credit to Rebele-Henry's own teen voice, mature beyond her years. The emotionally dramatic narrative . . . rings incredibly true.” —NPR
“An unflinching look at exclusion, hate and resilience.” —Ms. Magazine
“A modern epic that helps us think about the older epics, and what they have still to offer us.” —Chicago Review of Books
“With unflinching vision, Brynne Rebele-Henry pulls us into the trenches of young womanhood.” —Julia Elliott, author of The Wilds
Praise for Brynne Rebele-Henry “Richly researched and exquisitely rendered.” —Kaveh Akbar, author of the National Book Award Finalist Martyr
“I couldn’t get this one out of my mind. Brynne Rebele-Henry has such a singular, obsessive urgency to her voice.” —Kim Addonizio, author of the National Book Award Finalist Tell Me
Brynne Rebele-Henry is the award-winning author of the poetry collections, Autobiography of a Wound, which won the 2017 AWP Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, and Prelude, a 2023 LAMBDA Award finalist. Her debut novel, Orpheus Girl, was an ABA Kids Indie Next Pick and winner of the Young Adult Virginia Author Award. A 2021–2022 Fulbright Scholar at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resoluti
From Lammy Award finalist and author of Orpheus Girl, this lyrical and emotional YA novel follows a teen as she unravels a personal mystery in the wake of her older sister’s death.
A discovery of authentic self and sapphic love—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Lily Braun-Arnold.
Seventeen-year-old Isadora is reeling after the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni. Her grieving parents can’t offer much support—her only reprieve is her close friend Ani, but lately the intensity of her feelings for Ani have been more confusing than comforting. Then Isadora discovers secret letters in Eleni’s belongings that suggest her artist sister was hiding more from her family than Isadora ever expected . . . including a long-term girlfriend, Ćazi.
Reeling from this discovery, Isadora travels to her uncle’s apartment in New York City, where Eleni lived, determined to unravel the threads of her sister’s life. As she searches for Ćazi, Isadora embraces her own sexuality—and begins to fall in love. But can she learn to live when Eleni will never have the same chance?
Heartbreaking and healing, this gut-punch of a novel is an essential read for anyone who’s ever lost—and loved.
Praise
Praise for Orpheus Girl “Raya and Sarah's story is a credit to Rebele-Henry's own teen voice, mature beyond her years. The emotionally dramatic narrative . . . rings incredibly true.” —NPR
“An unflinching look at exclusion, hate and resilience.” —Ms. Magazine
“A modern epic that helps us think about the older epics, and what they have still to offer us.” —Chicago Review of Books
“With unflinching vision, Brynne Rebele-Henry pulls us into the trenches of young womanhood.” —Julia Elliott, author of The Wilds
Praise for Brynne Rebele-Henry “Richly researched and exquisitely rendered.” —Kaveh Akbar, author of the National Book Award Finalist Martyr
“I couldn’t get this one out of my mind. Brynne Rebele-Henry has such a singular, obsessive urgency to her voice.” —Kim Addonizio, author of the National Book Award Finalist Tell Me
Author
Brynne Rebele-Henry is the award-winning author of the poetry collections, Autobiography of a Wound, which won the 2017 AWP Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, and Prelude, a 2023 LAMBDA Award finalist. Her debut novel, Orpheus Girl, was an ABA Kids Indie Next Pick and winner of the Young Adult Virginia Author Award. A 2021–2022 Fulbright Scholar at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resoluti
