Gillian French crafts compelling young adult novels that delve into complex themes and intense emotions. Her writing is recognized for its raw honesty and its ability to capture the authentic voices of young characters navigating challenging life experiences. French deeply explores the psychology of her characters, examining themes of resilience, identity, and finding one's place in the world. Her short fiction further showcases her interest in darker, more suspenseful narratives.
A dazzling and evocative novel about seventeen-year-old Owl, left partially deaf by an early childhood tragedy that will come back to haunt her all these years later when her father is released from prison, and who is always her freest self while hiking the forested acres surrounding her family’s New Hampshire maple sugar farm.