Alison McGhee writes for all ages and in all forms. Her most popular books include the bestselling novel Shadow Baby, which was a Today Show Book Club pick, and Someday, the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book for adults. 2017 will see the publication of Pablo and Birdy, a new children’s novel, and Never Coming Back, a novel for adults. She lives in Minneapolis, Vermont and southern California. You can find her at alisonmcghee.com, @alisonmcghee, and #alisonmcghee. She loves hearing from readers and tries to respond quickly.

Twenty-one-year-old Mallie Williams—scrappy, headstrong, and wise beyond her years—has just landed on her feet following a tumultuous youth when the unthinkable happens: she is violently assaulted. The crime leaves her comatose, surrounded by friends and family who are hoping against hopes for a full recovery.

But soon Mallie’s small community finds themselves divided. The rape has left Mallie pregnant, and while some friends are convinced that she would never keep the pregnancy, others are sure that a baby would be the only good thing to come out of all of this pain. Who gets to decide? How much power, in the end, do we have over our own bodies? Mallie, her family, and her town find themselves at the center of a media storm, confronting questions nobody should have to face. And when Mallie emerges from the fog, what will she think of the choices that were made on her behalf?

The Opposite of Fate is an intense and moving exploration of the decisions we make—and don’t make—that forever change the course of our lives.