A paranormal story follows Alice between a small Australian town and a dreamscape built from its residents’ nightmares. Her twin’s school shooting and its aftermath shape Alice’s struggle with identity, guilt and belonging.
More about this book
Caught in a dreamscape, mistaken for a killer ... will Alice find a way home?.. Three years ago, Alice's identical twin sister took a gun to school and killed seven innocent kids; now Alice wears the same face as a monster. She's struggling with her identity, and with life in the small Australian town where everyone was touched by the tragedy. Just as Alice thinks things can't get much worse, she encounters her sister on a deserted highway. But all is not what it seems, and Alice soon discovers that she has stepped into a different reality, a dream world, where she's trapped with the nightmares of everyone in the community. Here Alice is forced to confront the true impact of everything that happened the day her twin sister took a gun to school ... and to reveal her own secret to the boy who hates her most.
IdentityThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.GuiltThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.Community impactThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
Consider
Violence and harmGrief and lossFear and suspense
Personalised Fit
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Alice struggles with her identity and life in a town affected by her twin sister’s fatal school shooting; the dream-world journey makes her confront the tragedy’s impact.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: How does Alice understand her own identity in relation to her sister and the town?
Shifting viewpoints and dreamscape
The story alternates between Alice and Lux as they move through a dreamscape where the townspeople’s nightmares play out.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The shifting viewpoints and connections between real and dream worlds make the story’s structure part of how readers piece events together.
Talk about: What changes in the reader’s understanding when the viewpoint shifts between Alice and Lux?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
The book brings a community’s grief and nightmares into a fantastical setting, linking personal identity with the lasting impact of violence. Alice’s uneasy alliances add a social dimension to her journey.
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What Deserves Attention
The backstory includes a school shooting in which seven children are killed; the dream world contains deadly monsters and recurring nightmares. These elements may feel intense for readers sensitive to violence or frightening imagery.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How does Alice’s sense of herself change as she confronts the consequences of her twin’s actions, and what parts of that struggle feel familiar or different to you?
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Reading Approach
Because the narrative alternates between Alice and Lux and moves through a disorienting dreamscape, consider pausing at perspective shifts to track whose viewpoint you are following and what has changed.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Alice’s identity and the aftermath: Alice’s struggle with identity and the town’s experience of the tragedy are central to this thread.
Shifting viewpoints and dreamscape: The dreamscape links the townspeople’s nightmares with the real world as Alice and Lux move through it.
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