Words can hurt us, words can fail us. But can they heal us, too?

It’s been a year since Colton’s dad left—and Colton is sure it’s his fault. It can’t be a coincidence that he moved away right after Colton was diagnosed with hyperlexia, which means he has a knack for decoding words, but he struggles with understanding, spelling and retaining them.

But how do you repair a relationship with your dad when you are a thousand miles and a million words apart? This poignant novel follows a father and son through one transformative summer as they search for the right words to close the distance between them.