Show Us Who You Are

When 12-year-old Cora meets Adrien, they become inseparable - not that she has any choice about it. Cora is struggling to fit in at school, whilst Adrien is home-schooled, so he’s adamant they will be friends. Cora grudgingly complies. Adrien is carefree, funny, unpredictable, and, it turns out, a kind and loyal friend too. Cora soon finds there’s a lot to learn from him – not least that things are better once you stop worrying about trying to fit in. 

Adrien’s dad runs Pomegranate Technologies, an A.I company that recreates people in perfect hologram form. An intrigued Cora starts to visit Pomegranate and is spellbound when she gets to meet a ‘real’ hologram. However, everything there is not quite what it seems and disaster is about to strike…

It’s a rollercoaster-ride of a book, and along the way raises a wealth of valuable ideas about neurodivergence, friendship and life in general, in a natural, unself-conscious way. Cora is autistic and Adrien has ADHD. Adrien neatly describes their two conditions as ‘cousins’ and their brains ‘from the same outer circle’. Set in the near future and with a twisting plot that weaves in themes of acceptance, ethics, equality and loss, this is a hugely powerful #ownvoices book that reminds us of the value of friendship and importance of learning to like yourself.

At times funny, at times shocking, at times gut-wrenchingly moving, but always utterly unputdownable.