REVIEWS:

"This novel will appeal to a broad audience, and it is a great vehicle for discussions about guns, violence, and responsibility." ~VOYA (starred)

"Readers will quickly become absorbed in this electrifying portrayal of fear and deception." ~Publishers Weekly

"This mesmerizing story largely derives its power from the respect McDonald demonstrate for these teens and their emotions." ~School Library Journal

"McDonald has crafted a gem. Enthusiastic and reluctant readers will grab this book and disappear into hiding until it's finished." ~The Book Report

A "deeply felt drama." ~ Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Michael fires his new rifle into the air on July Fourth, never imagining that his bullet will end up killing a man named Charlie Ward. So begins this taut drama of Michael MacKenzie and of Charlie Ward's daughter, Jenna, as the two teenagers react to the tragedy.

Mournful Jenna tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael has begun to appear in her dreams. Michael digs a grave for the rifle but finds that he can't bury his guilt. And the longer he hides the truth, the more people in his life he seems to hurt. Meanwhile, the police are narrowing in.

This potent novel is at once suspenseful, wise, and powerfully moving.

FROM SWALLOWING STONES:

There is no stopping it; the bullet rips through the hot summer haze, missing trees, houses, unsuspecting birds, coming to roost, finally, like an old homing pigeon.

Jenna Ward's hand hangs above her brow, a visor blotting out the sun. Above her, on the roof, her father squeezes the steel staple gun, aiming for the shingle beneath his fingers. The sun ricochets off the shining steel, pelting Jenna's eyes. She can barely make out her father's face. He is a dark shadow, moving about clumsily like a squatting troll traversing rooftops.

For a single moment the sun dips behind a cloud. Jenna drops her hand from her forehead. Her father lifts his hand to wave, but it flops suddenly, the knuckles thudding against the new shingles. His eyes widen like dark coals; his mouth falls open, a silent black zero. Slowly his body folds over itself, and over, plunging to the porch roof below, rolling like a heavy log over the side, coming to rest, finally, by Jenna's bare feet.

Somewhere on the other side of Briarwood, over a mile away, in the woods behind his house, Michael MacKenzie gently strokes the silky stock of his .45-70 Winchester rifle while he holds it out for Joe Sadowski's admiration. And because he could not wait to feel the smooth curve of the trigger beneath his finger, he has fired one shot into the air. It is the Fourth of July, Michael's seventeenth birthday, and the rifle is a gift from his grandfather. His parents are throwing an all-day barbecue and pool party to celebrate. Before the sun sets, he will eat six hot dogs, four hamburgers, and a half pound of potato salad; he will sneak into the garage with Amy Ruggerio--even though his girlfriend, Darcy, is at the party--because Amy is a "babe" and wants him; he will drive the neighbors crazy with heavy metal blasting from his stereo. He will, in fact, think this is the best day of his life, because in that moment he does not know that he has accidentally killed a man.

Copyright 1997 by Joyce McDonald
No portion of this text may be reprinted without permission from the publisher, Delacorte Press,
a division of Random House, Inc.

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