Bear Witness

“A portrait of heartbreak and resilience, and what happens to those left behind . . . a devastatingly good read.” —Laura Fitzgerald, national bestselling author of Veil of Roses and Dreaming in English “Melissa Clark’s Bear Witness takes a piercing look at the world of Paige Bellen, a young woman whose transition into adolescence is haunted by the kidnapping and death of her best friend: ‘One minute everything was normal and then a door opened and it was never the same.’ By presenting Paige’s narrative in reverse chronological order, Clark unsettles the normal and the ordinary, to reveal the cracks in such notions as safety, refuge and innocence. A harrowing, resonant portrait of girlhood trauma.” —Rigoberto González, author of Butterfly Boy and The Mariposa Club “Melissa Clark has crafted a perceptive and highly compelling story of a teenage girl, in the wake of a terrible trauma. It is an intense and emotional read, one that left me breathless. Bear Witness is a unique combination of page-turner and astutely worded character observation.” —Alan Lazar, author of Roam “A glimpse inside an experience we all would hope never to have to explore. Melissa Clark has told a powerful story.” —Davida Wills Hurwin, author of A Time for Dancing and Freaks and Revelations