The Opposite of Hallelujah

Does one sister s past change another sister s future?

Caro Mitchell considers herself an only child and she likes it that way. After all, her older sister, Hannah, left home eight years ago, and Caro barely remembers her. So when Hannah returns to live with them, Caro feels as if an interloper is crashing her family. To her, Hannah s a total stranger who refuses to talk about her life or why she went away. Caro can t understand why her parents cut her sister so much slack, and why they re not pushing for answers.
Angry and upset, Caro resorts to telling lies about her sister s mysterious reappearance. But when those lies alienate her new boyfriend and put her on the outs with her friends and parents, she seeks solace from an unexpected source. And when she unearths a clue about Hannah s past, Caro begins to see her sister in a whole new light.

"Jarzab packs a lot into this story, questions of faith and forgiveness, science and religion, mental illness, guilt and possible redemption, as well as simple high school drama. But at its heart, this is a story about sisters."--Booklist, starred

"A layered meditation on family and belief that will ring true for faith-questing teens."--Kirkus Reviews