In the debut novel of one of Canada’s leading playwrights, Judith Thompson brings us inside the mind of Ana, an eleven-year-old girl in a small American college town in the mid-1960s, who struggles to find the courage to tell the truth about the violent attack that led to the drowning of her best friend. She fears that her inability to speak up is why the Virgin Mary no longer appears to her before her frequent seizures. However, when her family moves to "the limestone city" of Kingston, Ontario, the ghost of her drowned friend appears to help Ana survive the violence she encounters there. In this coming of age story, Ana's resilience in the face of severe bullying and her life-threatening seizures, along with empowering friendships and a magical sexual awakening, transform her into a young woman who is finally ready to speak truth and take action, no matter the cost …

• A girl struggles against the forces that silence her and slowly but surely becomes a woman who is willing to act and to speak, no matter what the cost.
• Examines what it’s like to be a girl and the impact of society’s pressure on girls to be silent.
• The first novel from a leading Canadian playwright and screenwriter.
• A two-time Governor General’s Award for Drama winner, Judith was described as “a jewel in Canada’s crown.”