Grief Angels

Description

15-year-old Owen Marlow is experiencing a great, disorienting loss after his father suddenly passed away and his mother moved them to a new town. None of his old friends knew how to confront his grief, so he's given up on trying to make new ones. There is one guy at school who might prove to be different if he gives him a chance but lately, Owen has been overwhelmed by his sadness. He's started to have strange, powerful hallucinations of skeletal birds circling above him. Owen tells himself that these visions are just his brain's way of trying to cope - until one night, the birds descend and take him to an otherworldly forest. There, he is asked to go on a dangerous journey that promises to bring him the understanding he so desperately seeks - if he can survive it. GRIEF ANGELS is an urgent and heartfelt look at the power of nostalgia and the many different forms of grief. It's about young men learning how to share their stories, and teens discovering who they are, and who they might one day become.

David Owen studied created writing at The University of Winchester, where he went on to teach for three years. David is the author of three novels: Panther (2015), which was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, The Fallen Children (2017), and All the Lonely People (2019); all of which were published by Atom Books. All the Lonely People was described by the Guardian as, 'An adroit, fast-paced YA page-turner that movingly explores themes of isolation, disaffection and our overwhelming need to be connected'.

Not many YA writers can combine authenticity with such tenderness, so raw at times it's painful. A unique premise told beautifully - Kiran Millwood Hargrave (via Instagram) A truly extraordinary and original book. Utterly gobsmackingly brilliant. I felt elated, heartbroken and uplifted by the beauty of it. Raw and written from the heart, it's a phenomenal read - Liz Hyder, author of Bearmouth A powerful meditation on grief and friendship . . . There's a really satisfying arc, and the visits to Owen's other world add a mythic perspective. - The i newspaper Half realistic, half mystical, wholly successful - Financial Times