The Year the World Fell Apart

A novel that you will not only devour to the end, but that will surprise you with its touches of fantasy and humor, and that, above all, will move you and give you food for thought.

"I had always believed that when something terrible was about to happen, somehow, I would guess it, that those things are foreseen, like when the air becomes humid before a storm and you know it's better to take cover until it subsides... Now I know it's not like that, not at all."

At sixteen, losing her mother is the most dreadful thing Pearl has had to live through, a brutal, unexpected blow that shakes the foundations of her life. The pain is so unbearable that she can't help but channel it towards her newborn sister, whom she blames for the tragedy and will never forgive. And now no one, not her father, nor her grandmother, nor her best friend, and certainly not her little sister, will be able to break down the defensive wall she has built around herself. But what if Pearl's mother hadn't completely disappeared? What if she was still, in a way, present? The world can turn upside down at any moment, and when that happens, the most important thing is to find something to hold on to...

Critics have said...
"A powerful new voice."
The Guardian

"A heartwarming novel that doesn't shy away from the intensity of pain from loss."
The Sunday Times

"Exquisitely written, with an incisive sense of humor."
Stylist

"I cried, I laughed, I cried again [...], an essential book that stays in your memory long after turning the last page."
Bliss

"A moving and accurate portrayal of adolescence and the disturbing effects of loss and grief."
School Library Journal

"Memorable and moving."
Daily Mail