For This Life Only

When the twin sons of a preacher die in a car wreck, only one is revived. Now the life that Jacob Palmer knew has been extinguished, along with his hopes of a baseball scholarship. As his family implodes, Jacob grapples with his parents' religious devotion, painfully aware of the nothingness he felt in the moments before he was resuscitated, and tries to uncover brother Eli's final secret. In a striking meditation on grief, blame, fate, and losing one's faith, Kade (The Ghost and the Goth) exposes the layers of Jacob's loss from numerous angles, including the fact that Eli was always the "good twin," dutifully responding the night Jacob called for a ride. In a physical education class for "broken and damaged people," Jacob finds a kindred spirit in Thera, whom Eli had been tutoring. At the heart of Kade's reflective story is a philosophical tug of war between right and wrong, knowing the difference, and the relief that can be found in making a choice even when there are no clear answers. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Aug.)