Two weeks can change a person's life forever, especially in the case of 16-year-old Sara. Born with a mysterious fever, Sara's life has never matched her picturesque hometown of Victoria, BC's postcard-perfect reputation.

Deserted long ago by her rebellious heiress mother, Sara has somehow managed to piece together a life with her sensitive, pot-smoking father. Unable to cope with his teenage daughter's coming of age, Seamus drives off into the woods, abandoning Sara to fend for herself. Desperate for guidance, for a role model, for a little bit of excitement, Sara has a fleeting encounter with a mysterious girl -- Justine, a teenage runaway in the torn skirt -- who holds for Sara the promise of beauty, connection, danger. Her search for Justine -- which is, in essence, her search for herself -- takes her into the dark, but tempting underbelly of violence, drugs, prostitution, and even murder. The Torn Skirt leaves you hoping and aching for a sign that this unusually perceptive young woman will emerge unscathed, all the way to the final page.

The precision, clarity, lyricism (and wit) of Rebecca Godfrey's prose have created, in Sara, a piercing and unforgettable heroine -- and gives voice to the profound and universal experience of teenage isolation.