Hollow Chest
Author(s): Brita Sandstrom

Debut author Brita Sandstrom arrives with an unforgettable modern folktale of the darkness around and inside us, and the courage it takes to keep hope alive.

Hollow Chest is remarkable on so many levelsits exquisite writing, its startling originality, its deep empathy. An astonishing debut. Anne Ursu, award-winning author of The Lost Girl

Charlie has been having nightmares. Eyes watching him in the night, claws on his chest, holding him down. His dreams have been haunted for years, ever since German bombs rained down on London, taking his fathers life, taking his citys spirit, taking his beloved brother, Theo, off to war in France.

Now Charlie is left to take care of his grandpa Fitz while his mother works, waiting for the day when Theo will come home. And with World War II nearly won, that day is almost here. Grandpa Fitz warns Charlie that soldiers sometimes come back missing a piece of themselves, but Charlie isnt worried. Whatever Theo has lost, Charlie will help him find it.

When Theo finally does return, though, he is cold and distant. But Charlie refuses to accept that the brother he knew is gone, and soon, he discovers the reason for his brothers change: war wolves. Terrifying ancient beasts who consume the hearts of those broken by grief.

The wolves have followed soldiers back home from the front. And if Charlie truly wants to save Theo, hes going to have to find them and get his brothers heart back. But can a heart thats been eaten ever be replaced?

Review(s):
“I read this book breathlessly, ardently, my heart thumping in my chest. Brita Sandstrom has woven a story stitched through with hope and terror and longing. At its center is the utter audacity of love – how we hang on even when we are broken, and how we must never let go. A lovely, moving debut.”
Hollow Chest is remarkable on so many levelsits exquisite writing, its startling originality, its deep empathy. But what lingers most is its unwavering heartbeat: in the darkest of times, what will carry us through is love.
Brita Sandstroms debut is the rare sort of book that gives new language to old truths. Tender, sweet, painful, and brave, Hollow Chest is full of astonishing love.
“The book effectively evokes post-war England and the way that war doesnt end for everyone, and the wolves are a potent metaphor to introduce younger audiences to the realities of PTSD.”
“The literal and figurative rubble of combat provides a rich setting through which to examine the fragility and incredible resilience of the human heart. Its both a wrenching and wondrous world.”
“Sandstrom tells a story that is equally tender and terrifying, balancing a familys emotional gravity with the chilling war wolves. With moody occasional illustrations by Shin, a relaxed pace, and tender prose, this historical fantasy expertly employs anxiety and empathy to demonstrate wars devastating effect on individuals and families.”

ISBN:9780062870742