Nine-year-old Imari's best friend is his mother. Tormented by his classmate Bruce at school, and variably ridiculed or ignored

by his father at home, nothing feels safer than his mother's warm embrace. But when Imari enters fifth grade, loss turns his world upside down, and grief makes him an even more vulnerable target for Bruce's relentless bullying. He begins to fear for his life. Taking things into his own hands feels empowering-but could land him in trouble.

Set in 1980s North Georgia, The Scent of the Lilies explores the fierceness of a mother's love, the choices we make in the face of danger, and a way to pick up the pieces in the aftermath.