The Fountain

The riveting debut by Scieszka sees a 213-year-old woman set out to uncover the cause of her eternal youth so she can finally die in peace. Vera Van Valkenburgh was raised in her family’s Catskills home in the late 18th century. At age 26, something happened that rendered her; her older brother, Eli; and their mother immortal. Afraid of alarming their neighbors, the family flees the area in 1826 before going their separate ways. Now, in 2014, Vera returns for the first time, having scored a job as a forest ranger as cover for her mission to reverse her immortality. At a town planning meeting, she learns that a billionaire-funded LLC called Fountain of Eternal Youth has been buying up land in the area. Eli, whom she hasn’t seen for nearly two centuries, is also in attendance. It turns out that he’s shacked up with the LLC’s biochemist, Lydia, who claims in her presentation that she plans to harness the source of immortality as a cure for deadly diseases. As Vera tries to grasp what Eli is up to, she warns Lydia about the danger of her discovery getting into the wrong hands. Scieszka adds gentle humor and romance to the tense plot, as Vera settles into her new life among bougie urban transplants and falls for a rugged local EMT. Readers will find plenty to admire. Agent: Ali Lake, O’Connor Literary. (Mar.)