As their plane descends over the craggy coastline of Newfoundland, Cheryl’s response to her parents’ rising excitement is sullen. After moving from place to place for her father’s research on dying cultures, Cheryl has no intention of putting roots down in St. John’s, the fishing community where they will live. Secretly determined to put her bags on a bus or boat as soon as she can find the means to get back to their home base in Montreal, Cheryl’s plans are waylaid when she meets Jim. The sweet, nerdy teen tours her around town with his enormous dog, Boss, and she reluctantly learns to appreciate her new surroundings through Jim’s eyes, even as she continues to battle with her parents over their enthusiasm and motives for moving there. Like rough waves pounding on the stubborn shore, Cheryl’s resolute and prickly mood wears on her parents, and herself. With Jim, Cheryl’s softer side is exposed, and romance develops. Watching Jim and his family deal with the stress caused by the declining fishing economy, Cheryl begins to revise her understanding of commitment and connection. The interplay between exterior and interior, as well as inclusion and exclusion, are deftly described by Lori Weber in this memorable novel about people and place. (Age 13 and older)

Before her plane even touches down in Newfoundland, Cheryl is already plotting her escape. She knows life on this rock will be no better than it was in the other places she’s been forced to live ever since her parents launched their cross-Canada tour. The unwilling spectator of her father’s morbid fascination with “dying cultures,” Cheryl has seen more than her fair share of towns so depressing they could haunt your dreams. His decision to study the defunct fishing industry in St. John’s is Cheryl’s breaking point—this city girl is more determined than ever to get back to the concrete, the buzz, and the bright lights of Montreal. Will Cheryl’s cold, goth exterior and her refusal to embrace a new life cut her off from those who love her?