Irish narrator Mags has moved to a new town after her fathers death. Talented Gillian, who practices violin in the woods Mags explores, cant seem to find her own dad. An aspiring writer at age 11, Mags ostensibly crafts this dual-voiced novel, giving herself the longer, cleverer bits. Mags hatches a plan to find Gillians recalcitrant father and tap him for the money Gillian needs to audition at a renowned London music school. Parkinson portrays a fresh, feisty heroine in Mags, whose Project Manhuntfar more intriguing to her than Gillianis an unconscious stab at reconciling her fathers death. There are poignant, funny passages as Mags, her mother, grandfather and even Mums new friend, Don, approach that reconciliation. Gillian and her family, eccentric and disconnected, contrast thinly and sadly with Magss own. The dnouementwherein Mags tracks Gillians dad to his apartment in the next towndoesnt quite equal the setup, a fact that cant be pinned on the budding fictive author. An often-touching exploration of the variant ties between friends, and in families