About the Day One (Hardcover Book)

“A stunning and masterful mystery. A beautifully observed portrait of unthinkable tragedy and the love, hope and despair that remain. Abigail Dean is a rare and very special storyteller.” —Chris Whitaker, author of the New York Times bestseller We Begin at the End

A village hall, a primary school play, a beautiful Lake District town in England. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere.

In the weeks following the cataclysm, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. Two young people find themselves at the epicenter of the uproar: Marty, the town’s golden girl and daughter of a teacher killed that day, and Trent, whose memories of his brief time trying to fit into Stonesmere fuel his attachment to the conspiracies.

But what really happened at the Day One assembly? What secrets is Marty keeping and what blindspots does Trent miss? In this world where news travels fast, and videos and gossip travel faster, how does a community move forward together?

Opening with a gripping moment of terror, and then jumping forward in time to show how secrets, trauma, miscommunications, and unrequited feelings reverberate over a lifetime, Abigail Dean once again delivers, "a riveting page-turner, full of hope in the face of despair." (Sophie Hannah, The Guardian).