At the age of 16, it''s standard procedure for every girl at Lynnie Russo''s posh Los Angeles prep school to get a car. So on her 16th birthday, Lynnie is startled when she opens the small gift box from her father—it doesn''t contain the shiny new set of keys she was expecting. Instead she finds a worn-out bird charm bracelet. What can he be thinking? When she cuts school to go try surfing so as to have a special day, instead of grounding her, her father hands her a manuscript box and says, "Your mother wanted you to have this when it seemed you were losing perspective. I think now''s the time."

Through "The Noah Confessions," Lynnie uncovers her family''s secrets, loves, and tragedies, and comes to recognize that their past may not necessarily determine her future.

From the Hardcover edition.