‘Are You Seeing Me?’ – Darren Groth

This adventure will have earth-shattering consequences…

The Richter twins are on a road trip.  Weeks from turning eighteen, they watched their beloved father, Dan, lose his battle with cancer.  Two years on, they remain defined by their symbiotic bond: sole, at-home carer, Justine; and disabled, extra-sensory Perry. But with Justine thinking of resuming her interrupted studies and Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift.

Before they go their separate ways, the twins seek to create a gilded memory, embarking on a two week adventure in the Pacific Northwest.  For Perry, the trip is a glorious engagement of his favourite interests: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes.  For Justine, it is a chance to reconcile the decision to ‘free’ her twin and offer long-absent mother Leonie – still single and living alone in Vancouver – the chance to atone for past wrongs.

The instability that has shaped their lives, though, will not subside.  Torturous tears result when Justine decides to end her relationship with boyfriend Marc, who’s back in Brisbane but wants to be heard.  A ruse perpetrated on the streets of Seattle sees Perry alone and distressed at the West Precinct police station.  In Vancouver, Leonie’s sincere but flawed efforts to connect with her children jeopardizes the family reunion.

Then the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce all their worlds to rubble.

An ambitious and captivating story of humanity, Are You Seeing Me? is a timely portrayal of youthful courage in a shifting world, and reminds us our ultimate reliance on others is unshakeable.

Are You Seeing Me? is set for release with Random House Australia in August 2014.