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YA
After her harsh, alcoholic mother's death from a freak bear attack, seventeen-year-old Dani is overwhelmed by her complicated emotions. She moves in with an estranged aunt in New Mexico, and Dani's grief manifests in self-isolation and emotional detachment. While Dani eventually begins to heal with the help of new friends, her lyrically narrated dissociation--inspired by Camus's The Stranger--may alienate casual readers.