Andrea, 16, is altered inside and out by giving birth to a baby, fathered by a summer boy whom she never bothered to tell that she was pregnant. She can't talk about the baby, given up for adoption, but she can't forget her either. Then Swede, an AWOL soldier, shows up pretending to inspect the house his family is building nearby. Andrea both dislikes and is drawn to Swede. While she despises his family as the sort of wealthy intruders who are uprooting old residents, it's revealed that Swede is as confused as she is; while she faces changes in her family, including sale of their land, he prepares to face army authorities so that he and Andrea can-legally--start a life together. Gone is the openly wistful tone of Why I'm Already Blue (1989), Farish's first book; instead, this novel conveys a more subtle, equally heart-tugging reluctance in response to change. Andrea is a cynic hopping to be proved wrong; Swede is just the person to do the proving. Sweeps of emotion, pockets of tellingly placed details, and a cast of ruggedly believable characters make this a story to reel readers in.