Fault Lines

By: Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson Shaw, Andre Santana

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Riveting, powerful, and a little bit magical, Fault Lines offers listeners a slow-burn romance alongside an unflinching examination of socio-economics, gender expectations, and environmental ethics.

Gold Winner of the 2024 Nautilus Book Award for Young Adult (YA) Fiction

Ever since her aunt died four months ago, seventeen-year-old Vivian (Viv) Spry is aching to figure out where she belongs. Her father has become emotionally distant and even her best friend has found a new sense of identity in her theater group. Unfortunately, nobody in her rural West Virginia town has time for an assertive, angry girl, especially a girl dubbed “Ice Queen” for refusing to sleep with her popular boyfriend. On top of everything, she discovers a strange ability to sense energy that really freaks her out. The only place Viv feels like it’s safe to be her true self is the tree stand where her aunt taught her to hunt. It's the one place she still feels connected to the person who knew her best. So when fracking destroys the stand and almost kills her, Viv vows to find a way to take the gas company down.

When Dex Mathews comes to town—a new kid whose mom lands a job laying pipeline—his and Viv's worlds collide and a friendship (and maybe more?) slowly blossoms. But Viv’s plan to sabotage the pipeline company could result in Dex’s mom losing her job, putting them on the streets. Now Viv and Dex have to decide what’s worth fighting for—their families, their principles, or each other.

©2025 Nora Shalaway Carpenter (P)2025 Running Press Kids

Critic reviews

"I read Fault Lines in one sitting; it’s just that good. Riveting and real, including the magic. I only wish I’d written it myself."—Han Nolan, National Book Award winning author of Dancing on the Edge

"A powerful and timely story that deftly navigates the complex interplay between poverty and environmentalism. I fell in love with the land as much as I did the characters."—Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times bestselling author of the Loveboat, Taipei series

“A love letter to the natural world, this story shows how dismantling beliefs calls for fight and fury, but also empathy and heart. Tough yet intuitive Viv shines as a complicated protagonist, and her connection with earnest Dex brims with hope—until they discover the devastating ways they are at odds. Honest in its exploration of the deep-rooted challenges of one rural community, Fault Lines is a masterpiece as breathtaking as our West Virginian forests. Empowering and sublime.”—Anuradha D. Rajurkar, author of American Betiya, a 2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection