Troubled teen finds peace in South Africa

LUCY, the solemn daughter of a separated archaeologist couple, has been sent to South Africa from New York by her exasperated mother.

At her wits’ end with her only child’s refusal to process a recent traumatic experience, the mother sends Lucy to join her father at his dig on the Cape West Coast.

After reaching international acclaim for an early find in his career, Peter has consistently struck out and couldn’t find a bone in a graveyard.

With pressure mounting for Peter on professional and personal fronts, the dig hardly seems to be the place for a broody teen.

Often as intensely erratic as the weather patterns on the sweeping coastline,

Lucy presents a unique challenge for Peter – who is a bit out of practice on the parenting front.

Beake delivers an approachable narration through her protagonist.

Lucy represents the archetypal teen who struggles to make sense of the world around and inside her.

Hap is a story of a girl who finds answers and companions she didn’t know she was looking for on the mystical coastline of southern Africa.

The intensely reflective story occasionally delays the unravelling of an otherwise comforting story.

A satisfying read for teens and young adults.