Gabrielle Zevin

When his most prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, is stolen, bookstore owner A. J. Fikry begins isolating himself from his friends, family and associates before receiving a mysterious package that compels him to remake his life. The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books, the only bookstore on Alice Island, has already lost his wife. Now, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances....

After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to "live."

Roger Pomeroy decides to go back to school, leaving the financial stability in the hands of his wife, Georgia, but as their debt swells, unpaid bills amass, and the ruinous consequences of their poor choices plague the lives of the three Pomeroy children.

""Anya's new prominence brings out friends, foes, and ghosts from the past. Certain scores must be settled; certain debts must be paid. Surviving a crime-ridden New York City in the 2080s is looking harder and harder for Anya""--