When fifteen-year-old Lydia Pasternak's popular older brother Danny disappears late one summer night, she unwillingly becomes a celebrity in her community and an afterthought to her bereaved parents. In Danny's absence, Lydia blossoms from a bookish outcast to the centre of attention, all while grappling with her grudging grief for a brother she never particularly liked. When an intriguing private investigator enters the picture, Lydia finds herself drawn into the search for clues to Danny's whereabouts. The shocking end to that trail of clues - an end that Lydia never prepares for - will haunt her for the rest of her life. An authentic and at times surprisingly funny dissection of public and private grief, The Local News is an accomplished, affecting debut. 'Gershow'a book is deeply sympathetic, often painful, and always utterly believable. Not a book you're likely to put down once started, nor to forget once finished, a remarkable achievement.' Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club 'Miriam Gershow has a fresh, funny and very engaging voice and a powerful story to tell, and Lydia Pasternak is a character you'll miss long after the book is finished. I was charmed by the first page and undone by the last.' Beth Gutcheon, author of Good-Bye and Amen and Leeway Cottage 'Beneath this darkly humorous tale of loss is a keen look at the painfully stratified world of high school, and a reminder that just because we're supposed to feel sad doesn't mean we always do.'?? Marie Claire