We Can Never Leave: A Novel

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

You can never go home. Every day, all across the world, inhuman creatures are waking up with no memory of who they are or where they came from-and the Caravan exists to help them. The traveling community is made up of these very creatures and their families who've acclimated to this new existence by finding refuge in each other. That is, until the morning five teenage travelers wake to find their community has disappeared around them overnight. Those left: a half-human who only just ran back to the Caravan with their tail between their legs, two brothers-one who can't seem to stay out of trouble and the other who's never been brave enough to get in it, a venomous girl with blood on her hands and a heart of gold, and the Caravan's newest addition, a disquieting shadow in the shape of a boy. They'll have to work together to figure out what happened the night of the disappearance, but each one of the forsaken five is white-knuckling their own secrets. And with each truth forced to light, it becomes clear this isn't really about what happened to their people-it's about what happened to them.

Reviews

"Edgmon dazzles in this supernatural mystery novel... A captivating fable of belonging and intergenerational trauma." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"This is not a heartwarming story about teens learning to set aside their differences and love one another. Each character is complicated, messy, and angry in their own way...The astounding beauty of the prose unnervingly normalizes the often gruesome content, folding the reader seamlessly into the mindsets of the teens who are far from recognizing their own severe trauma. The enthralling storytelling and deeply flawed characters make this a top choice for readers up for a challenge." -- Booklist (Starred Review)

"Edgmon crafts horror with vivid imagery and an unknown, ominous threat. Meticulous plotting leads to a satisfying conclusion... Precise and cutting" -- Kirkus

"A book for every kid who may have had to run from home, and may still be trying to run from who they are. This rich, lyrical heartbreak of a story has some gristle in its teeth, and you're going to love it." -- Andrew Joseph White, New York Times Bestselling author

"Edgmon is back and better than ever with a sharp-fanged and tender-fleshed story of isolation and belonging, love and cruelty, and the double-edged knife of family. In dreamlike prose and haunting imagery, each child of the Caravan will crawl into your heart and make a home there. A brilliantly imagined, wholly original story I won't soon forget." -- Courtney Gould, author of Where Echoes Die

Author Bio

H.E. Edgmon did not sleep for several years and is now the author of copious novels and short works for tweens, teens, and adults. Their kidlit line-up includes The Witch King duology, the Ouroboros duology, and The Flicker. School Library Journal has described their writing as "monstrously thrilling, deeply emotional." Across genres, H.E. hopes to find readers in their darkest moments and help them set a fire. They live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by chosen family and giant dogs.