The Other Side of Loneliness
Rachel McMinn
Paperback
(Tiny Teacup Books, June 6, 2016)
The tragedy went far beyond the car accident. Past the twisted metal and yellow caution tape, the flashing police lights and the ambulance that was not needed. Riley Michaelson's father wasn't the only one who died in the tragedy that took his life; her past, her present and her future died too. With the family, home, neighborhood and friends she has always known now gone, Riley keeps the pretense going for a while, wearing a mask of normality to school and beyond even as she watches her Mother dealing with her grief through drugs, alcohol and a string of dangerous men. The reality is too much to run from any more when her Mother goes missing and Riley is catapulted into a world of loneliness, fear and the unknown. With news of her Mother's disappearance making headlines and enrolling at a new school she doesn't believe is worth settling roots at, Riley meets Tyler, a young man who is facing a struggle of his own. Riley befriends mysterious Tyler, a self-described artistic loner and starts to look into the mystery surrounding his past, pushing aside her worries to focus on Tyler's. Riley discovers a truth that neither she, nor Tyler, ever expected to uncover and she learns that by freeing Tyler from his past, she can ultimately free herself.