unravelling 13 - johnny kavanagh

When twelve-year-old Johnny Kavanagh moves from Dublin to Cork, all he expects is awkward silences, weird accents, and a rugby team that could never replace the one he left behind. What he doesn't expect is Zara.

Zara Callahan is loud, sharp, unfiltered - a girl with fire in her eyes and a wall around her heart. She's the kind of person who drags you into her orbit without asking. And despite the bruises on her body and the too-big hoodie that hides more than just a frame, she shines like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

But light doesn't come without shadows.

As the years pass, Zara's fire begins to burn darker. Behind the humour and quick comebacks is a girl drowning in a home full of pain no one sees. When the trauma gets too heavy, she turns to anything that might make it quieter - even if it breaks her.

Johnny sees it all.

As Zara spirals into self-destruction, Johnny refuses to let her drown in silence. But saving someone who doesn't want to be saved was never going to be easy.