A tale of deceptive simplicity that slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance, this moving new novel subtly re-imagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love. As a child, Kathy -- now 31 years old –- lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world. She was brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being...

"All Beth has to do is drive her son to his soccer game, watch him play, and then return home. Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the field, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn't want to see her today--or ever again. But she can't resist. She parks outside the open gates...

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis' parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents -- telekinesis and telepathy -- who got to this place the same...