Corey Calhoun is a latchkey kid who is used to being alone.

Looking after himself while his widowed mother works long days to keep them afloat, the thirteen-year-old splits his time between hanging out and making mischief with his best friend, Benny D, and fighting off the loneliness of isolation.  

One ordinary morning, everything changes for Corey. His entire world is turned upside down when he walks into his kitchen and finds an older boy laughing with his mom. Everyone seems to know this stranger—everyone except Corey. 

The stranger, it turns out, is Corey’s older brother. The whole scene is befuddling. Not only does Corey not recognize this stranger, but he’s never met him. Not that he can recall. Yet the stranger knows everything about him. He has the kind of intimate knowledge that only a sibling can possess. 

As Corey struggles to make sense of what’s happening, he begins to question not only his memories, but the meaning of family itself. Why does everyone else believe this boy belongs? And why, despite his fear and confusion, does something about him feel strangely familiar? 

Forced to navigate a reality that no longer makes sense, Corey must decide who—and what—to believe. And as the truth slowly comes into focus, he’s confronted with a question far more complicated than he ever imagined: 

Can love be the solution to a problem you never knew existed? 

A tender, mysterious coming-of-age story about grief, identity, and belonging, this novel explores what it means to be seen—and what it costs when you finally are.