cover image A Touch Mortal

A Touch Mortal

Leah Clifford. Greenwillow, $17.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-06-200499-4

In Clifford's cryptic first novel, Eden, depressed on a Jersey beach and contemplating suicide, is swept off her feet by a captivating stranger, Az, and his friend Gabriel, who are really angels. Gabe soon learns from "Upstairs" that Eden is destined to kill herself; meanwhile, her love for Az makes her a target for the Fallen, so Az and Gabe hasten Eden's suicide, in order to protect her. The plan succeeds, and Eden becomes a "Sider," one of a legion of immortally undead teens on the streets of New York. Eden has the additional "talent" of annihilating Siders who tire of their existence, which makes her a veritable rock star in the community%E2%80%94but loathed by the Fallen. Clifford matches the dark subject matter with a lugubrious tone, peppered with dry wit, as the gothic misfits navigate their purgatory. Though the almost casual treatment of suicide%E2%80%94and its portrayal as an act of true love%E2%80%94is questionable, Clifford's target audience (and readers who take an imaginative interest in representations of the afterlife) are likely to interpret Eden's death as a symbolic act of transformation, rather than of self-destruction. Ages 14-up. (Mar.)