Rainsong

Missing persons cases and a long history of violence haunt a fogbound coastal town in this brooding supernatural thriller by Riesen (Free Radicals). After a hit-and-run kills her uncle, Afghan Australian 17-year-old Zayn Pereira moves with her father and seven-year-old sister, Mania, from Newport Beach to Mendocino. The residents prove secretive and insular, matching Zayn’s father’s recent emotional coldness. Even Sunny, Zayn’s 22-year-old cousin, keeps his distance. But Zayn has a secret of her own: she can inexplicably heal people through touch. At school, she befriends classmate Ollie, and through her Zayn learns of the recent disappearance of a student named Charlie, in whose house she now lives and whose car she now owns. Zayn is also unexpectedly drawn to Charlie’s ex-boyfriend, Tiago, who many believe responsible for her vanishing. When Zayn witnesses Tiago being struck by a car and instinctively heals him, the reveal impels Tiago to introduce her to hidden local lore stretching back to the 1850s, when those with paranormal gifts were hunted as witches in a shadow war that continues to shape the town. Cinematic settings, pulse-pounding pacing, and a distinctively rendered, culturally diverse cast propel a wholly original and fiercely character-driven tale that grapples with generational trauma and economic disparity. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mollie Glick, CAA. (June)