Find Layla: A Novel

A Vanity Fair Best Book of 2020

“With Elison’s trademark wit and turn of phrase, we are plunged into the life of Layla Bailey, a middle schooler living her life under extreme parental neglect. Despite its adult themes, the story reads like an adventure pitched precisely for children too young to be going through it―and an unsweetened peek into the inner moral battles of a neglected preteen.” ―Vanity Fair

“Sharply observed and well-written, Layla’s story is both accessible and resonant, deftly tackling issues of poverty, neglect, and resilience. To get to know Layla is to understand the myriad challenges that many young people face behind closed doors and the fortitude required of them to survive against odds that are stacked against them. A powerful voice that is bound to make an indelible impact on readers.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“With grace and respect, Elison depicts an intense and, sadly, accurate view on how a child survives in spite of neglect, embarrassment, and humiliation. The characters are as real as the people readers see in their own schools and communities. Overall, this necessary book allows for teachable moments for adults and children alike, who may know a person like Layla.” ―School Library Journal

“Elison’s young-adult debut is packed with emotion…Harsh elements such as the condition of Layla’s home, her mother’s behavior, and the lengths Layla goes to for survival make this a tough read, but a heartfelt message of survival and resilience wins out.” ―Booklist

“Elison is an extraordinary writer at all times, but especially when she reveals the tender and hidden corners of her capacious heart. Find Layla is a masterwork in vulnerability and courage. Layla will break your heart and breathe life into black mold all at the same time.” ―Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

A neglected girl’s chaotic coming-of-age becomes a trending new hashtag in a novel about growing up and getting away by an award-winning author.

Underprivileged and keenly self-aware, SoCal fourteen-year-old Layla Bailey isn’t used to being noticed. Except by mean girls who tweet about her ragged appearance. All she wants to do is indulge in her love of science, protect her vulnerable younger brother, and steer clear of her unstable mother.

Then a school competition calls for a biome. Layla chooses her own home, a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame. With a borrowed video camera, she captures it all. The mushrooms growing in her brother’s dresser. The black mold blooming up the apartment walls. The unmentionable things living in the dead fridge. All the inevitable exotic toxins that are Layla’s life. Then the video goes viral.

When Child Protective Services comes to call, Layla loses her family and her home. Defiant, she must face her bullies and friends alike, on her own. Unafraid at last of being seen, Layla accepts the mortifying reality of visibility. Now she has to figure out how to stay whole and stand behind the truth she has shown the world.

Meg Elison is a high school dropout and a graduate of UC Berkeley. Her debut novel, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, won the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award. It was followed by The Book of Etta and The Book of Flora in Meg’s Road to Nowhere trilogy. The author lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes like she’s running out of time. For more information, visit www.megelison.com.