The canyon's edge

Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It's a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, like clockwork, another accident strikes, this time while hiking in a remote Sonoran Desert canyon with her father. A flash storm sends a deluge of water down the canyon's dry riverbed, carrying away Nora's father in its strong current. As Nora fights waves of panic, her harrowing tale of survival unfolds through a mix of free-verse and concrete poetry. Flashbacks and nightmares fill in details about her mother's death and the PTSD it imprinted on the lives of Nora and her father. Nora is an experienced outdoorswoman, but the storm washed away her pack of supplies, leaving her with only her ingenuity. Determined to find her father, she begins to walk and rock climb in the direction that he disappeared. Her physical struggles--hunger and thirst, sunburned and scraped skin--are intercut with internal ones, blending her journey through grief with her current plight in the canyon. Bowling's (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, 2017) spare writing packs a powerful wallop, and the tense blurring of reality and nightmare effectively conveys Nora's semi-hallucinatory state. Yet Nora finds ways to overcome the frightening obstacles before her, resulting in a triumphant story of healing and bravery.

In the year since Nora's most recent birthday, when a restaurant shooting resulted in the tragic death of her mother and a PTSD diagnosis for Nora, the girl's father has kept her isolated and protected from the world. Unsurprisingly, Dad decides to celebrate her birthday with a trip far from civilization: rappelling into a slot canyon in the Sonoran Desert. Having grown up rock climbing and hiking through deserts, Nora is well versed in survival skills, but after the two travel for several hours, a flash flood steals away her father, leaving Nora alone with no supplies, no idea whether her dad is alive, and struggling to survive while keeping the demons of the last year at bay. Writing primarily in verse, with a few narrative passages, Bowling (24 Hours in Nowhere) creates a fast-paced, gripping novel in which Nora confronts dangers such as scorpions and snakes. The effective stream-of-consciousness narration jumps from Nora's teeth-gritting determination to despairing flashbacks of the shooting that killed her mother and the fatigue-wearing "Beast" who still haunts her. Because the entire story spans roughly 48 hours, readers learn little about Nora outside of these two incidents, lessening the opportunities to connect with her. Still, the high level of tension and the emotional pull of Bowling's writing make this a praiseworthy, adventure-filled story. Ages 8--12. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Gr 4--7--Since the fateful day her mother was killed one year ago, Nora and her father have continually withdrawn further from society. Protecting their memories is how they've endured. While burying emotions seems to be Nora's strength, a hiking trip in Arizona's Sonoran Desert is about to change everything. A flash flood leaves Nora alone at the bottom of a canyon; no father, no supplies, and very little hope. If she's going to make it out alive, Nora must put her survival skills to the test and not only survive the desert, but face personal demons. Bowling delivers a poignant depiction of a young girl dealing with anxiety and PTSD. Bookended by narrative, the text transofrms seamlessly to verse in the middle (when Nora is alone in the canyon) to intensely convey Nora's thoughts and feelings. The continued struggle over her mother's death plays into her strife in the desert through flashbacks of therapy sessions from the past year. Forced to be alone with her thoughts, Nora battles what it means to survive versus what it means to live. As she gradually succeeds in getting out of the canyon, Nora realizes that a person is not defined by one moment, but rather, their resilience and growth over time. VERDICT For readers who bloomed under Leza Lowitz's Up From the Sea or Jasmine Warga's Other Words for Home, this emotionally resonant survival tale is a must-have.--Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL

A girl's birthdays mark parallel tragedies for her broken family unit. Last year's celebration at a restaurant ended in an unexplained public shooting, and Nora's mother died. She and her father are still wrestling with their trauma, Nora with a confirmed diagnosis of PTSD. For this year's outing, Nora and her father head into the deserts of the Southwest on a rock-climbing expedition. They descend into a 40-foot deep slot canyon, then hike along inside until a flash flood barrels through the canyon, washing away all their supplies…and Nora's father. She's left to survive this symbolic and living nightmare on her own. Thankfully, she can make continuous use of her parents' thorough training in desert knowledge. Brief sections of prose bracket the meat of the story, which is in verse, a choice highly effective in setting tone and emotional resonance for the heightened situation. Bowling's poems run a gamut of forms, transforming the literal shape of the text just as the canyon walls surrounding Nora shape her trek. The voice of Nora's therapist breaks through occasionally, providing a counterpoint perspective. Nora is white while two characters seen in memories have brown skin. The narrative also names local Native peoples. Elements of the survival story and psychological thriller combine with strong symbolism to weave a winding, focused, stunning narrative ultimately about the search for healing. An edge-of-your-seat read. (Adventure. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It's a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, like clockwork, another accident strikes, this time while hiking in a remote Sonoran Desert canyon with her father. A flash storm sends a deluge of water down the canyon's dry riverbed, carrying away Nora's father in its strong current. As Nora fights waves of panic, her harrowing tale of survival unfolds through a mix of free-verse and concrete poetry. Flashbacks and nightmares fill in details about her mother's death and the PTSD it imprinted on the lives of Nora and her father. Nora is an experienced outdoorswoman, but the storm washed away her pack of supplies, leaving her with only her ingenuity. Determined to find her father, she begins to walk and rock climb in the direction that he disappeared. Her physical struggles—hunger and thirst, sunburned and scraped skin—are intercut with internal ones, blending her journey through grief with her current plight in the canyon. Bowling's (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, 2017) spare writing packs a powerful wallop, and the tense blurring of reality and nightmare effectively conveys Nora's semi-hallucinatory state. Yet Nora finds ways to overcome the frightening obstacles before her, resulting in a triumphant story of healing and bravery. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

In the year since Nora's most recent birthday, when a restaurant shooting resulted in the tragic death of her mother and a PTSD diagnosis for Nora, the girl's father has kept her isolated and protected from the world. Unsurprisingly, Dad decides to celebrate her birthday with a trip far from civilization: rappelling into a slot canyon in the Sonoran Desert. Having grown up rock climbing and hiking through deserts, Nora is well versed in survival skills, but after the two travel for several hours, a flash flood steals away her father, leaving Nora alone with no supplies, no idea whether her dad is alive, and struggling to survive while keeping the demons of the last year at bay. Writing primarily in verse, with a few narrative passages, Bowling (24 Hours in Nowhere) creates a fast-paced, gripping novel in which Nora confronts dangers such as scorpions and snakes. The effective stream-of-consciousness narration jumps from Nora's teeth-gritting determination to despairing flashbacks of the shooting that killed her mother and the fatigue-wearing "Beast" who still haunts her. Because the entire story spans roughly 48 hours, readers learn little about Nora outside of these two incidents, lessening the opportunities to connect with her. Still, the high level of tension and the emotional pull of Bowling's writing make this a praiseworthy, adventure-filled story. Ages 8–12. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Gr 4–7—Since the fateful day her mother was killed one year ago, Nora and her father have continually withdrawn further from society. Protecting their memories is how they've endured. While burying emotions seems to be Nora's strength, a hiking trip in Arizona's Sonoran Desert is about to change everything. A flash flood leaves Nora alone at the bottom of a canyon; no father, no supplies, and very little hope. If she's going to make it out alive, Nora must put her survival skills to the test and not only survive the desert, but face personal demons. Bowling delivers a poignant depiction of a young girl dealing with anxiety and PTSD. Bookended by narrative, the text transofrms seamlessly to verse in the middle (when Nora is alone in the canyon) to intensely convey Nora's thoughts and feelings. The continued struggle over her mother's death plays into her strife in the desert through flashbacks of therapy sessions from the past year. Forced to be alone with her thoughts, Nora battles what it means to survive versus what it means to live. As she gradually succeeds in getting out of the canyon, Nora realizes that a person is not defined by one moment, but rather, their resilience and growth over time. VERDICT For readers who bloomed under Leza Lowitz's Up From the Sea or Jasmine Warga's Other Words for Home, this emotionally resonant survival tale is a must-have.—Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL