"Hélène, Lisa, and their brother Samuel endure a summer of boredom trapped in the suburbs and their parents' disintegrating marriage. Although the interactions of these characters add interest and even suspense to the proceedings, the heart of the novel lies in an examination of the relationship of the mind to the body, as exemplified in the two adolescent sisters. Hélène stuffs herself with aspirin in an attempt to ignore her period, but becomes obsessed with the fate of a raped and murdered girl whose body has been found on an island near her home. Her fascination leads her to collect newspaper clippings and even date a boy from the dead girl's school, although she feels revulsion at his physical advances. Lisa, on the other hand, is concerned with transcending the body altogether, with talk of angels and the afterworld beliefs of the Aztecs" .