Former journalist turned journalism teacher Larissa Johanssen moved back to her hometown to escape the violence she once covered on a national stage. Until that violence strikes her high school, her students. Now, she must help her students deal with the type of coverage that drove her to the breaking point. And she must revisit parts of her past she thought long buried-and separate truth from fiction to finally begin to heal. "A well-conceived, well-executed novel." -The New York Times Book Review on Alien Influences " Rusch's] writing style is simple but elegant, and her characterization excellent." -Mark Morris, Beyond "A masterful writer is at work." -Orson Scott Card " Rusch] is one of those very few writers whose style takes me right into the story-the words and pages disappear as the characters and their story swallows me whole....Rusch has style." -Charles de Lint