Conville & Walsh

And suddenly it’s as if the world is coming to me in slow motion, through some kind of haze or fog. I can’t stop looking at Alice. Her eyes are cold, appraising, and the pupils so large that all I can see is black. Cold, impenetrable, black.

Following the brutal murder of her talented little sister, Katherine Patterson’s once perfect family is left shattered. In order to escape the attention of a cruel and relentless media, Katherine moves to a new city, starts at a new school, and looks forward to a new life of quiet anonymity.

But when Katherine meets the gregarious and beautiful Alice Parrie her resolution to live a solitary life becomes difficult. Katherine is unable resist the flattering attention that Alice pays her and is so charmed by Alice’s contagious enthusiasm that the two girls soon become firm friends. Alice’s joie de vivre is transformative; it helps Katherine forget her painful past and slowly, tentatively, Katherine allows herself to start enjoying life again.

But being friends with Alice is complicated – and as Katherine gets to know her better she discovers that although Alice can be charming and generous she can also be selfish and egocentric. Sometimes, even, Alice is cruel.

And when Katherine starts to wonder if Alice is really the kind of person she wants as a friend, she discovers something else about Alice: she doesn’t like being cast off.