Being Toffee

Allison has run away from an abusive home, and she is used to hiding who she really is and trying to be whatever other people want. She takes shelter in a shed behind an abandoned house, only to find that the house is not empty. An elderly woman named Marla, who has dementia, lives there.

Instead of sending Allison away, Marla welcomes her, mistaking her for an old friend from her past called Toffee. Allison decides to go along with it and become Toffee. One of them is trying to forget, and the other is trying to remember.

As the two grow closer, Allison sees how much Marla needs a genuine companion, and her certainty starts to slip. Both of them deserve a home, a safe place and a family, but keeping them may come at a cost. This novel by the award-winning author Sarah Crossan is about self-preservation and finding where you belong, and it is told in verse.