I've lived in New York for most of my life and sadly only been to Red Hook, Brooklyn to go to Ikea (Kayleigh would be appalled by this). Luckily, I have Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda to bring this diverse and colorful community to life for me.
Ivy tells the story of June and Val, two 15 year-olds who have been friends since childhood. One sweltering summer night, just another in a long line of boring sweltering nights, the girls decide to float out into the bay on a small, pink raft. Only Val returns.
The story that follows focuses on the individuals in the neighborhood in the aftermath of June's disappearance; the lonely music teacher who finds Val washed up on shore; the bodega owner/aspiring journalist who sees potential for change in Red Hook; a young man from the projects who dreams of escaping. It's atmospheric and compelling. Highly recommended!
Dennis Lehane picked this as the second in his eponymous line of books with Harper, and says Visitation Street is "gritty and magical, filled with mystery, poetry and pain…" Nailed it!
Want to read it? First 10 people to email me will get an ARC.
– Annie
PS: Kayleigh talked about this book on one of our webisodes. Have you watched them yet? Please do…