That Green Eyed Girl

With an intriguing opening line and a camera-like gaze, the author places her readers in a New York apartment, where you feel the heat and hear the tinny radio. It’s 1975, and as Ava dreams of a boy, her mother is falling apart. A package arrives that sets Ava on the path of discovering the truth about the apartment’s former occupants, teachers Dovie and Gillian. They hid a secret, but the woman who inveigled her way into their home left devastating consequences. The characters are deftly drawn and emotionally engaging, and the plot develops at just the right pace, with unexpected twists. An accomplished debut.