Stranded in paradise ... with a guilty conscience
One million things about fifteen-year-old Brittany Warner infuriate her mother-and vice versa. Britt wants to bask in the Hawaiian sun this summer as planned, not build her Ivy League resume at a lake cottage in Vermont. But her case against her power-attorney mother doesn't stand a chance. She's sentenced to an ordeal intended to set the course for the rest of her life.
Until she rebels, and her mother ends up in a coma.
Through a chance encounter with a waitress, Britt is sent to a Vermont horse farm where she is stranded in paradise with her guilty conscience and Will, an intriguing seventeen-year-old reformed by grace. Things go from bad to worse when she discovers secrets about her mother's past that threaten her own identity. As Britt's anger escalates, her risky decisions create a dangerous spiral that threatens to take her down, and Will with her. But a greater love is at work ....
This realistic, contemporary novel contains little or no explicit sex or strong language, but is recommended for mid-teen and older due to mature themes and situations. The universal themes of parent-child love and our core beliefs about God, life, and death will appeal to a broad audience and bring hope to those who need it.
IAN 2023 Book of the Year Finalist ACFW Genesis Semi-finalist
Review :
FIVE-STAR REVIEW by READERS' FAVORITE
"Topping the Willow by Lori Closter accurately captures the struggles many teens encounter and offers hope for healing. Through its first person perspective, Brittany's voice and emotions are made more apparent. The painful effects of emotionally distant parenting are also evident in the story. There are many uplifting messages beautifully woven into the plot including how faith can offer hope, encourage forgiveness and facilitate healing. I loved that each character was realistically portrayed and that the issues explored in the plot are familiar and relevant. Brittany and Will's friendship was also inspiring. Topping the Willow by Lori Closter is a beautiful, profound novel with practical themes for its intended audience. It sensitively tackles many challenges that teenagers face. Highly recommended." -Readers' Favorite
A beautifully crafted story with insight and compassion packed into every page. Unforgettable!
-Susan D, Writer
What The Cross and the Switchblade did for the previous generation, Lori Closter's sensational Topping the Willow does now for ours. Through searingly real descriptions, gorgeous imagery, and brilliantly realized characters, the author immerses young adult readers in her protagonist's harrowing journey from doubt to despair to joy, showing them that, through Christ, her heroine's salvation can also be theirs, no matter how dire their straits. This astonishing book will uplift, entertain, and transform all who read it. -David King, screenwriter
Topping the Willow is a deeply moving story about broken people and their buried secrets, revealing how the ripple effects of one person's guilt and shame can damage the innocent. But forgiveness, grace, and hope also have ripple effects, which Lori Closter authentically weaves throughout this raw and multi-layered debut novel. -- Karen Sargent, author of Waiting for Butterflies, the 2017 IAN Book of the Year
At its best, storytelling will reach into your chest with both hands and grab your heart.
It says, 'I want you to listen to my pain, my sorrow, and my hope.' Topping the Willow does that. Lori Closter pulls no punches to tell you a story that is raw, real, and hard to put down. -Bethany Clemons, screenwriter
Debut author Lori Closter taps into the drama and emotion of young adulthood in Topping the Willow. Like most teenagers, Brittany Warner manages to drive her high-power attorney mother, batty. Until she doesn't. Her mother ends up in a coma and Brittany ends up with guilt. Closter walks us through guilt, finding out detrimental past secrets, and into forgiveness in this well-told story that introduces us to the greater power of love and to the one who really gives it. -Cindy K. Sproles, Christian Market Novel of the Year, author of What Momma Left Behind; best-selling, award-winning author, mentor, speaker, conference teacher
