“A first-rate literary thriller in the Hitchcock tradition, where…the real danger comes not from the criminals but from the police and the not-so-innocent bystanders. A quietly chilling novel about the loss of innocence against the backdrop of the modern war on terrorism.” Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author
Description
A small town is swept up in a manhunt for a fugitive from foreign soil and a teenage girl struggling to make the right choices with little information and less time.
In the heat of a stifling summer in her sixteenth year, Livy Marko spends her days in the rust-belt town of Lomath, Pennsylvania, babysitting, hanging out with her best friend, Nelson, and waiting for a bigger life to begin. These simple routines are disrupted when the electricity is cut off and the bridges are closed by a horde of police and FBI agents. On the run from an extradition order, a fugitive from the Republic of Georgia has taken refuge in nearby hills and no one is able to leave or enter Lomath until he is found. As the police fail to find the wanted man and hours stretch into days, the town of Lomath begins to buckle under the strain. Like Russian dolls, each hostage seems to be harboring a captive of their own. Even Livy’s parents may have something to conceal, and Livy must learn that the source of danger is not always what it appears.
Rosalie Knecht’s wise and suspenseful debut evokes the classics while conjuring the contemporary paranoia of the post-terrorist age. Relief Map doesn’t loosen its grip until the consequences of this catastrophic summer—and the ways in which a quiet girl’s fate can be rerouted and forever changed—are made fully apparent.
Praise
“A first-rate literary thriller in the Hitchcock tradition, where…the real danger comes not from the criminals but from the police and the not-so-innocent bystanders. A quietly chilling novel about the loss of innocence against the backdrop of the modern war on terrorism.” Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author
“Atmospheric…Knecht expertly captures the subtle social dynamics of a town suspended in crisis, chronicling mounting anxiety in crisp, unfussy prose.” Kirkus Reviews
“Knecht’s teenagers speak authentically: at once self-aggrandizing and curious, wary and naive, torn between the need to belong and the drive to differentiate. Readers will be immersed in the vision of America drawn by this bracing, uneasy account of a fading small town seized in a modern state of emergency.” Publishers Weekly
“Livy’s quiet summer is upended by a series of events that force her to deal with a variety of moral issues…[and] make this book a strong conversation-starter for YA fans…Teens will enjoy this well-written novel as a fine piece of storytelling; it’s also a wonderful option for book club discussions.” School Library Journal
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Feb 4, 2019 |
| Release Date | February 5, 2019 |
| Release Date Machine | 1549324800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Rosalie Knecht is the author of Who is Vera Kelly? and Relief Map, and the translator of César Aira’s The Seamstress and the Wind. She lives in New Jersey.
Narrator Bio
Caitlin Davies is a New York City–based actor and audiobook narrator who studied acting at the Eugene O’Neill National Institute, the British American Drama Academy, and the Barrow Group. She specializes in audiobooks for teens and young adults.
Overview
A small town is swept up in a manhunt for a fugitive from foreign soil and a teenage girl struggling to make the right choices with little information and less time.
In the heat of a stifling summer in her sixteenth year, Livy Marko spends her days in the rust-belt town of Lomath, Pennsylvania, babysitting, hanging out with her best friend, Nelson, and waiting for a bigger life to begin. These simple routines are disrupted when the electricity is cut off and the bridges are closed by a horde of police and FBI agents. On the run from an extradition order, a fugitive from the Republic of Georgia has taken refuge in nearby hills and no one is able to leave or enter Lomath until he is found. As the police fail to find the wanted man and hours stretch into days, the town of Lomath begins to buckle under the strain. Like Russian dolls, each hostage seems to be harboring a captive of their own. Even Livy’s parents may have something to conceal, and Livy must learn that the source of danger is not always what it appears.
Rosalie Knecht’s wise and suspenseful debut evokes the classics while conjuring the contemporary paranoia of the post-terrorist age. Relief Map doesn’t loosen its grip until the consequences of this catastrophic summer—and the ways in which a quiet girl’s fate can be rerouted and forever changed—are made fully apparent.
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