Visitation Street -- Ivy Pochoda

What an engrossing read. It is the story of a neighborhood and of those trying to grow up, or get away. When June and Val take their raft out to the river and only Val comes back, the repercussions reverberate. With Red Hook, Brooklyn on the verge on its own gentrification, the edginess of the story propelled me through its twists and turns. The finely drawn characters tore at my heart , each in their own way; from Faldi, the store owner, to Johnathan, the music teacher, and to Cree, the young man lost after his father's death. If you like your stories poignant and somewhat dark, this is a book for you.