THE VOICE IN MY HEAD

A dysfunctional family sets off on a road trip after God speaks directly to one of them.

Indigo Phillips is not coping well with her terminally ill sister’s plan for assisted suicide and, in her grief, tries to kill herself. The African-American teen cries out to God in despair—and hears an answer. After she wakes up in the hospital, God proceeds to urge her to persuade her family to go on a road trip from their Seattle home to the Wave rock formation in Arizona, promising that her twin, Violet, will be cured if they reach it. The road trip includes Michelle, their controlling, know-it-all big sister; her husband, Drew, a Colville Indian man; their two spirited children; the twins’ brother; their parents; and the family’s white pastor from their nondenominational New Age church. The course of the road trip reveals a host of underlying issues the family members have yet to make peace with. Violet and Indigo’s parents’ behavior can come across as avoidant, as their continual joking deflects engagement with some of the serious topics raised, including Indigo’s suicidality. Davis (Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now, 2018) takes readers on an emotional, heartbreaking journey that may feel predictable at times but addresses strong themes that will resonate with many readers.

Family connection, religious exploration, and death with dignity form the beating heart of this moving novel.