The House That Held Its Breath

Grief didn’t end with Deborah’s death; it followed him, whispered to him, and waited for the moment he would break.

Seventeen-year-old Michael Riley has learned how to disappear.

After his sister’s death, grief settles into the Riley house like something alive. His mother fades into addiction and despair. His father is gone. The house is spotless on the outside, but inside, silence, neglect, and pain have become part of the walls. Michael keeps his head down, …