A Touch Mortal

May 9, 2011
In Clifford's cryptic first novel, Eden, depressed on a Jersey beach and contemplating suicide, is swept off her feet by a captivating stranger, Az, and his friend Gabriel, who are really angels. Gabe soon learns from "Upstairs" that Eden is destined to kill herself; meanwhile, her love for Az makes her a target for the Fallen, so Az and Gabe hasten Eden's suicide, in order to protect her. The plan succeeds, and Eden becomes a "Sider," one of a legion of immortally undead teens on the streets of New York. Eden has the additional "talent" of annihilating Siders who tire of their existence, which makes her a veritable rock star in the communityâbut loathed by the Fallen. Clifford matches the dark subject matter with a lugubrious tone, peppered with dry wit, as the gothic misfits navigate their purgatory. Though the almost casual treatment of suicideâand its portrayal as an act of true loveâis questionable, Clifford's target audience (and readers who take an imaginative interest in representations of the afterlife) are likely to interpret Eden's death as a symbolic act of transformation, rather than of self-destruction. Ages 14-up.