Jennifer Mason-Black
Sometimes the Girl

Eighteen-year-old Holiday needs to sort her life out.
She’s still shaken from her brother’s recent suicide attempt; still pining over her ex, Maya; and still struggling to write again after a long dry spell. To earn enough money for a rebalancing trip with Maya, Holi gets a short-term job: organizing the attic of acclaimed author Elsie McAllister. It’s an unglamorous gig with a difficult boss. Elsie—whose fame rests on a single novel published decades ago—is in her nineties, in failing health, and fiercely protective of her privacy. But as Holi sorts through the attic’s surprising contents, she realizes there’s much more to Elsie than the novel that made her a legend.
Unearthing Elsie’s secrets will change how Holi sees art, life, and the way they intertwine, as she grapples with choices that will redefine her own path.
Carolrhoda Lab
Young Adult Fiction
Age 14+
304 pp | US$ 19.99
hc | 140 x 210 mm
Publication: May 2025
Author: Jennifer Mason-Black
All rights available, excl. Chinese (simpl. & compl.), Italian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
- Interview with the Author
- Book trailer
- Wraps a suspenseful literary mystery in an exploration of meaty questions about writing, fame, identity, and integrity
- Savvy readers will recognise echoes of Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) in the complicated character of Elsie
- Offers nuanced queer rep and sensitive treatment of complex topics (drug addiction, suicide, depression)
Awards
“Mason-Black’s prose sparkles with poetic beauty as Holi engages in introspective musings about collective mourning and how individual healing is possible only in community. . . This striking work shows the power of intergenerational relationships to fortify queer artists against erasure . . . Beautifully written and powerfully uplifting.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews, 13 January 2025
“A touching coming-of-age novel about healing and connection. Holi’s story models radical empathy, and its conclusion acknowledges that language is the only tool that may bridge the gap between people who seek to understand each other.” — starred, Foreword Reviews, 26 March 2025
“Mason-Black’s writing, expressed through Holi’s first-person narration, is original and striking in its depth, putting a thoughtful spotlight on Holi and the people around her. An appealing and engrossing work.” — Booklist, 12 March 2025
“A powerful, lyrical story that honors creativity, queerness, healing and intergenerational relationships.” — Ms. Magazine, 5 May 2025