For the lovers of YA among us, here's a new addition by Julia Hoban. Willow was released in the States recently, and makes its way to UK shelves in March. Here's some more info about the book:On a rainy March night, Willow Randall's parents drank too much and asked her to drive them home. They never made it - Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed. Now, seventeen-year-old Willow has left behind her home, friends, and school to move in with her older brother, his wife, and their new baby.
Trapped in a life she never expected, Willow desperately wishes things would return to the way they were - but they can't. Tormented by guilt and petrified by grief, she goes through the motions just trying to cope. Willow numbs her new, grim reality by secretly cutting herself - the only way she thinks she can gain control amidst dysfunction and chaos. When her classmate, Guy, discovers her secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the "safe" world Willow has created for herself upside down. His refusal to let her go forces Willow to relearn how to let people in.
Willow explores the utterly painful and isolating effects of loss with the paradoxically essential need for human connection and understanding. Julia creates a character as complex as her situation. Extremely smart and thoughtful, Willow not only faces the task of refiguring her life without the people who mattered most, but falls in love with the first person to know everything about her. It is through this connection with Guy, their shared love for books, and the love of her family, that Willow begins to heal.
