Set in Newfoundland, One for Sorrow chronicles a pivotal year in the life of Issy Heffernan, one of the most complex and appealing young heroines in YA fiction. Saddled with a mean and bedridden mother; an older, increasingly bitter schoolmarm of a sister; and a lovely but mainly absent father, Issy dreams of leaving her miserable life behind for a life on the mainland, maybe even in a big city such as Toronto. What reason is there for her to stay? But there's one thing holding her back: Issy is illiterate. She can't read at all and never could. How far can she really go?