This complex and lyrical coming-of-age novel portrays the messiness of teenage life as V learns to confront her problems.

Virginia "V" Dunn is alone when a hit-and-run accident leaves her dog, Lucky, bleeding and helpless. Suddenly, the monotony of her suburban life dissolves: Lucky is in a cast, her best friend is avoiding her, her mother's drinking is getting worse, and her father is sick with a mysterious illness. Although V is surrounded by family, she is the loneliest girl in town.

In her search for answers to life's difficult questions--about death,...