Visitation Street : Two girls disappear on the river. Only one of them comes back

''A powerfully beautiful novel'' New York Times

''Intoxicating. . . . Imbued with mystery and danger'' Emma Straub

''Pochoda''s premise is inspired, the novel that unfolds even more so. Rich characters, surprising shifts of plot and mood. I loved it.'' Lionel Shriver

As the hot summer rolls on in Red Hook, Brooklyn, bored and listless fifteen-year-olds June and Val are looking for some fun. Forget the boys, the bottles, the coded whistles, Val wants to take a raft out onto the bay.

But out on the water, as the bright light of day gives way to darkness, the girls disappear, and only Val returns, washed ashore semi-conscious in the weeds.

June''s shocking disappearance will reverberate in the lives of many of Red Hook''s residents. Fadi, the Lebanese bodega owner, trolls for information about the crime. Cree, just beginning to pull it together after his father''s murder, unwittingly makes himself the chief suspect. And as Val emerges from the shadow of her missing friend, her teacher Jonathan will be forced to confront a past riddled with tragic sins of omission.

Combining intensely vivid prose with breathtaking psychological insight, Visitation explores a cast of solitary souls, pulled by family, love, and betrayal, who yearn for a chance to escape, no matter the cost.

''Gritty and magical, filled with mystery, poetry and pain, Ivy Pochoda''s voice recalls Richard Price, Junot Diaz, and even Alice Sebold, yet it''s indelibly her own'' Dennis Lehane

''Explores a community''s response to tragedy with crystalline prose, a dose of the uncanny, and an unblinking eye for both human frailty and resilience . . . Marvellous'' Deborah Harkness