A Girl Named Anna

July 15, 2019
On the 15th anniversary of her sister's disappearance, a young woman launches her own investigation in British author Barber's U.S. debut. Rosie Archer was only a baby when her 3-year-old sister, Emily, disappeared at Astroland, a Florida amusement park they visited while on vacation from England. Her parents haven't given up hope that Emily is still alive, but Rosie and her younger brother, Rob, have largely borne the brunt of the fallout. The high profile of Rosie's famous music producer father has ensured that everyone knows who Rosie is. It's not the kind of celebrity she wants, and her parents are understandably overprotective; Rosie chafes at this situation with risky behavior. Fifteen years haven't blunted the guilt and blame that cycle between Emily's parents, and while it's obvious they've done their best by Rosie and Rob, the siblings' lives have been irrevocably shaped by the sister they never knew. When Rosie finds out that the trust set up to fund the search for her sister is about to run out, she decides she's going to find out what happened to Emily and hopefully get closure for herself and her family. Meanwhile, in Florida, 18-year-old Anna Montgomery lives with her reclusive, ultrareligious mother, Mary, and is ecstatic to be heading for the forbidden Astroland with her boyfriend, William. It's there that she flashes on some disturbing memories, and a letter hand-delivered to her mailbox calling her by another name causes Anna to question her entire existence and do a little digging (literally) of her own. Readers will quickly know the "who" of the story--it's the "why" that's the focus, and Rosie's and Anna's dual narratives lend intimacy and emotional resonance. Anna's story often veers into Carrie territory, and Barber renders the Archers' heart-wrenching plight with realistic emotional intensity. While it stretches credulity a bit that a teen, even a clever one like Rosie, would have more luck than all those Scotland Yard investigators and private detectives, readers willing to just go with it will find a lot to enjoy. A page-turning look at the aftermath of a parent's worst nightmare.

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July 29, 2019
High school senior Anna Montgomery, the heroine of British author Barber’s taut first novel, lives a quiet, devout life in Florida with her widowed mother. When Anna and her boyfriend, the local pastor’s son, decide to sneak off to Astroland, the state’s biggest theme park (where she’s never been), for her 18th birthday, she discovers Astroland is strangely familiar. Meanwhile, in London, teenager Rosie Archer and her parents must come to terms with the 15th anniversary of the kidnapping of her sister, Emily, which occurred during a trip to America when Rosie was just a baby. Despite having little hope of success, Rosie resolves to do something, and she begins by reading all the conspiracy theories and stories about the kidnapping online. Her research uncovers a few promising leads, one involving a well-known reporter. As Rosie fights for the truth, Anna seeks her own, and soon both find themselves in danger. Barber creates a fast-moving tale of good and evil, obsession and sacrifice—all in the name of love. This gifted storyteller is a writer to watch. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA Agency (U.K.).

April 1, 2019

In Barber's debut, winner of the Daily Mail First Novel Competition, Anna breaks Mamma's rule never to go to Astroland and is surprised by how familiar it all seems. Meanwhile, Rosie misses her long-gone older sister and takes up the hunt 15 years after she vanished. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

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