In this compelling coming-of-age story, Julia DeSmit endures the painful depths of love and loss, and enjoys the comforting glimmers of faith and hope.
Abandoned by her mother at age nine, Julia agonizes over her father's lingering death six years later. Now living alone with her saintly grandmother, Julia is crushed to learn that her longtime best friend and secret love has a college sweetheart.
Hoping to redefine herself, Julia attends a nearby university on an engineering scholarship. But when she returns home for Thanksgiving, unexpected events leave her vulnerable. Soon a sobering reality carries her through an Iowa blizzard - to begin a life she never planned.
Nicole Baart has received critical acclaim for her splendid debut novel, whose crisp prose is both "beautiful" and "evocative" (Romantic Times).