Out Loud

Thrust into the country environs of the Pacific Northwest, Klein, a precocious, yet introverted fourteen-year-old, is confronted with her abusive past for the first time when a repressed memory emerges. Shaken, she realizes she can no longer hide from her secret. Klein becomes perversely drawn to a classmate and neighbor, Ed Boons, after discovering they have a shared bond. They form an odd alliance, but life becomes increasingly complicated as Klein learns more about Ed’s escalating abusive family life and the subsequent CPS investigation of his home. Klein wants nothing more than to be transported from her haunting memories—to be unfettered, and normal again. Yet, the more embroiled she becomes in Ed’s life, the more she’s forced to grapple with her own past. As she navigates through distracted parents, isolation, and bullies, a semblance of clarity surfaces and an unformed, subconscious idea arises: Can she save herself by saving Ed first?