Losing Gemma [Paperback]

This is the story of Gemma and me: how I lost her, I suppose. I don't usually tell it to anyone but myself;
I save it for the darkest moments.

Losing Gemma, Katy's Gardners debut novel about adventure, losing your best friend, and self-discovery, has been translates into twelve languages and compared to Alex Garland's breakthrough novel, The Beach, among many others. This time, the backpacking heroes are girls. What makes Losing Gemma truly unforgettable, is the read itself; it's an impossibly suspenseful novel that's as gripping as it is psychologically rich. Two young women have gone looking for adventure, backpacking through India—but only one returns. The other one believes it's all her fault. And the mystery behind what really happened during their fateful visit to a secluded shrine compels the reader forward to a page-turning conclusion that's shocking, strange, and haunting. Gardner spins a strong, atmospheric story...Her rendition of Gemma and Esther's friendship will reverberate with many young female readers who might appreciate a more relationship-centered spin on the backpackers-gone-astray trope of Alex Garland's The Beach. A tragic thriller about curdled friendships and the dangerous thrills of the unknown... —Kirkus Reviews

Gardner's stark setting—not the exotic tourists' India but its dank, grimy backwaters—heightens the characters' senses and builds uneasy suspense page by page until the surprise conclusion starkly underscoring the theme of betrayal. —Publishers Weekly

Gardner's first book is a page-turner with substance, a thought-provoking read that is evocative and alluring...Fast-paced, this tallƒ'