Wonders of the Invisible World - by Christopher Barzak (Paperback)

About the Book

Seventeen-year-old Aiden's been living like a ghost since his mother tried to stop a family curse by causing him to forget his psychic experiences, but when Jarrod, a childhood friend, returns, so do the memories, and Aiden's compelled to seek the truth and release them all from the story that's trapped them.

Book Synopsis

STONEWALL HONOR BOOK - For fans of Patrick Ness and Tom McNeal comes a moving and page-turning novel that's part ghost story, part love story. The lines between past and present, tales and truth, friends and lovers begin to blur when a boy's childhood friend returns to town.

Aidan Lockwood lives in a sleepy farming community known for its cattle ranches and not much else. That is, until Jarrod, a friend he hasn't seen in years, moves back to town. It's Jarrod who opens Aidan's eyes to events he's long since forgotten, and who awakes in him feelings that go beyond mere friendship. But as Aidan's memories return, so do some unsettling truths about his family. As Aidan begins to probe into long-buried secrets, he may not be able to control what else is uncovered. Aidan will need to confront a family curse before he can lay claim to his life once more.

"Brilliant storytelling that unearths new intersections of love and magic." --New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld

Review Quotes

"A wonder itself--a coming-of-age, coming-out, and crossing-into-the-mystic novel all rolled into one." --Tom McNeal, National Book Award finalist for Far Far Away

"If you don't want a book with magic, mystery, lying parents, ancient curses, and true, true love (plus wonderful writing), then I'm not sure I care to know you. But if you do, then Wonders of the Invisible World is the book you've been waiting for." --Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club

"The unpredictability of curses, magic, and love are inexorably entwined in this gracefully written story." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Part ghost story, part love story, this page-turner is a captivating exploration of the power of place, family, memory, and time itself." --Kirkus Reviews

"Barzak expertly balances magical realism, historical flashbacks, and contemporary teen romance in Aidan's journey of self-discovery." --Booklist

"The complexity of the pairing of real and the unreal . . . is striking, and rather haunting." --Tor.com

About the Author

Christopher Barzak's fiction includes the award-winning adult novel One for Sorrow, which was made into the major motion picture Jamie Marks Is Dead; the Nebula Award finalist The Love We Share Without Knowing; and the short-story collection Before and Afterlives, which won the Shirley Jackson Award. Christopher grew up in rural Ohio, has lived in a Southern California beach town and the capital of Michigan, and has taught English outside of Tokyo. Currently he teaches fiction writing in the Northeast Ohio MFA program at Youngstown State University. Learn more about him at christopherbarzak.com.