Laura Jarratt: 2 books

'I picked up the book and thumbed through the pages. Names in alphabetical order, names with meanings, names I knew, names I'd never heard of. How to pick? Nothing that would stand out, nothing that would link me to the past - those were the instructions. The past. As if everything that had gone before...

"I wanted to say this morning, only you ran off ... sorry if I was rude.' The boy from the boat grineed, looking straight at me. 'You surprised me, that's all. The scar' - he touched his face - 'took me by surprise. I didn't mean to be rude.' I gaped at him. Nobody ever, ever mentioned the scars." An...