Embarking on a quest to locate her best friend Rebecca, who abruptly left everything behind to join an enigmatic intentional community overseen by a wealthy magnate within the depths of an abandoned mall nestled in the countryside, Carolyn joins forces with a determined local journalist determined to unveil the truth behind the community's enigmatic leader, a man who presents himself as a benevolent figure liberating those burdened by student loan debt and the shackles of capitalism. However, as Carolyn draws closer to the mall, she finds herself increasingly ensnared in the community’s eerie and bewildering atmosphere, with Rebecca slipping further from her grasp. Amidst the unsettling backdrop, Carolyn wrestles not only with the specters of her past—her twin sister's baffling disappearance decades before—but with the unsettling notion that her sibling’s spirit may be manifesting within the confines of the mall, its sinister influence looming ever larger.
Author of the poetry collection Desire Path, The Very Good Best Friend is Taryn Hubbard’s debut novel. She lives in Chilliwack, BC with her family.