Are You Seeing Me?

Description

This road trip will have earth-shattering consequences ...Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory. For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things- mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes. For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to 'free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc - and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs. But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble ...'A funny and beautiful story about love, life and other disasters, told with the help of Robinson Crusoe and Jackie Chan. I think what we're 'seeing' here is a writer at the top of his game. Just wonderful.' MICHAEL GERARD BAUER, author of The Running Man WINNER, Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature - Young Adult Fiction 2016 SHORTLISTED, Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year - Older Readers 2015 SHORTLISTED, Prime Minister's Literary Awards - Young Adult Fiction 2015 SHORTLISTED, NSW Premier's Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature 2015 SHORTLISTED, Queensland Literary Awards Griffith University Young Adult Book Award 2015 SHORTLISTED, Western Australian Premier's Book Awards - Young Adult 2016 SHORTLISTED, Children's Peace Literature Award 2015 SHORTLISTED, Governor General's Literary Award - Children's Literature (Text) 2015 (Canada) SELECTED, IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2015 SELECTED, White Raven 2015 (International Youth Library)

Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Darren Groth now lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his Canadian wife and twelve-year-old twins. His books have been published on both sides of the Pacific and include Kindling and Most Valuable Potential, which was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards - Young Adult Book Award. Darren has appeared at numerous literary events including the Byron Bay Writers' Festival and Brisbane Writers' Festival. He has been a guest speaker, workshop and masterclass facilitator and writer-in-residence for literary organisations, writing groups, schools and libraries, and has written articles for publications including The Courier-Mail, Writing Queensland and Mamamia. Darren, a former special education teacher, is passionate about promoting awareness and understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and he is the proud father of an ASD son. Darren finds inspiration in subjects close to his heart, and his latest novel, Are You Seeing Me?, features twins from Brisbane - one disabled, the other his sole carer - on the road trip of a lifetime in British Columbia and Seattle.