Kristin loves the pristine landscape of her family farm. But surfaces can be deceiving. Something dangerous is being buried in the surrounding fields. And Kristin's own face betrays her, ravaged by cystic acne. How can she care about community problems, even if they threaten her family and friends, when she's trapped inside her own skin? Every character in this coming-of-age novel has a buried secret. Kristin's best friend withers in the shadow of family abuse. Her pastor makes a strange alliance with an outspoken atheist. The foster kid she once bullied talks non-stop about heaven. A destitute neighbor, his own face terribly disfigured, quietly pursues an improbable dream. Kristin herself tries, literally, to run from troubles-and stumbles upon a truth that exposes all secrets, especially the one in her own heart. THE SURFACE OF THINGS explores bottom-line questions: Am I worth more than my body? Do I even have a soul? Why do I suffer unfairly? And if there is a God, why doesn't he fix this messy world? YA fiction, 172 pp.