ARC The Life Tree by Frances Hardinge

Paperback. Insert print out.

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Synopsis: A young female scientist discovers the dangerous nature of truth--and the bewitching power of lies-- in this deliciously creepy tale by master storyteller Frances Hardinge, author of Cuckoo Song.

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is reliable, dull, trustworthy--a proper, young lady who knows her place as inferior to men. But inside, Faith is full of questions and curiosity, and she cannot resist mysteries: an unattended envelope, an unlocked door.

She knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing. She knows that her family moved to the close-knit island of Vane because her famous scientist father was fleeing a reputation-destroying scandal. And she knows, when her father is discovered dead shortly thereafter, that he was murdered.

In pursuit of justice and revenge, Faith hunts through her father's possessions and discovers a strange tree. The tree bears fruit only when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father's murder--or it may lure the murderer directly to Faith herself.