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Magpie Lewis’s home life has fractured after she discovered her father with her mother’s sister. She distances herself from her father while her mother drinks, her older sister leaves, and her friendship with Allison falls apart after a party Magpie cannot fully remember. Magpie writes about Near, an imagined perfect place that helps her cope. When she finds a way into Near, she can control what happens there and uses it to express anger and seek revenge. As memories of the party become clearer, Magpie recalls that Allison’s boyfriend sexually assaulted her.