something happened here
an illustrated novel
Something Happened Here was written for girls who want to, or have ever wanted to, disappear.
It follows the story of 17 year-old nothing, Sally Fawn, through ink sketches and poetic narrative as she returns to her abandoned childhood home with only the desire to disappear. Home was on the derelict Highway 340 in rural Nova Scotia, Canada. Home was dirt, centipedes, and sad dogs, but not Mom. Home was Desiree, who she abruptly left after Dad disappeared into the black Atlantic. That summer, Sally discovers that her home now belongs to someone else: a forcefully charming man named Leon Vaughn, and his jealous dog, Lady. Sally tells him that she's 18. 17 is close enough, right? Leon tells Sally that she's 19.
Something Happened Here reveals the untold story of an invisible girl in a silent community in rural Nova Scotia, where crime is underreported, and when someone disappears, they are forgotten forever. Something Happened Here echoes the voices of women and girls who have been silenced by abuse.
Your voice echoes, and it carries power.
“How did I belong to a thief?
How did you steal from me,
right out of my hands,
with my eyes opened?
How did you steal
with permission?”