"Achingly poignant . . . a love letter and a life raft to the brokenhearted." -New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee

Seventeen-year-old Ellie had no hope left. Yet the day after she dies by suicide, she finds herself in the midst of an out-of-body experience. She is a spectator, swaying between past and present, retracing the events that unfolded prior to her death.

But there are gaps in her memory, fractured pieces Ellie is desperate to re-assemble. There's her mother, a songbird who wanted to break free from her oppressive cage. The boy made of brushstrokes and goofy smiles who brought color into a gray world. Her brooding father, with his sad puppy eyes and clenched fists. And Ellie's determined to find out why a piece of her was left behind.

Told in epistolary-like style, Rocky Callen's deeply moving A Breath Too Late sensitively examines the beautiful and terrible moments that make up a life and the possibilities that live in even the darkest of places. Perfect for fans of the critically-acclaimed Speak, I'll Give You the Sun, and If I Stay.

"An exquisitely played love song to life, in all of its hurts, wonders, memories, and loves." -Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

"A haunting story, punctuated with brilliant points of hope and light. This is an important story. A necessary story . . . Callen's writing radiates with passion, honesty and love." --National Book Award finalist and Printz Award-winning author An Na