Description: This curious, haunting novel explores family redemption through lightning, zom- bies, and twelve-year-old twins who keep trying to fix everything even as it all spins out of control. It starts simply enough: Fenton, the bolder twin, grabs a mysterious ball of light, and the twins discover that it can bring dead things back to life. The kids move on fairly quickly from dead rodents and insects to the family dog, who does come back but isn't really himself anymore. Nonetheless, Fiona and Fenton decide to bring back their grandfather, a controversial figure who in spite of his deep flaws is missed by his widow, if not his children. Grandpa is different once he revives (and, to be clear, this all falls into horrifying zombie territory with flesh falling off, exposed bones, and disgusting smells), a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by his own son, who slowly warms to this man who was a drunken disappointment in life but seems genuinely contrite now. A startling additional death and reanimation don't go as well, sending the family on the run; in the end, though, Fiona's narration ends with a tentatively optimistic tone, with all undead and living people trying to use their time wisely, and the ball of lightning out of the family's hands. The zombies and the sharp, specific discussions of the transient nature of life itself make this particularly suitable for those more intrigued than frightened by the gruesome and the fatal. For those, this is a gem of a philosophical, outlandish story, and Fiona's narrative voice is intelligent, wry, and thoughtful.

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