The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

Sam Sylvester keeps a collection of stories about young people who died before they turned nineteen, a group Sam very nearly joined. After surviving a hate crime in Montana, the eighteen-year-old, who is autistic and nonbinary, moves with their adoptive father, Junius, to Astoria, Oregon, hoping for a calmer start. The new house comes with its own history: someone died there about thirty years ago, and the town has long called it an accident. Sam and a new friend, Shep, are not so sure, and their shared curiosity becomes a cold-case investigation that someone in town would very much like to shut down. Maya MacGregor's debut young adult novel blends mystery, a touch of the supernatural, and romance while following Sam's effort to heal and to live fully.