Disintegration: Lisa Carey at the Booksmith tomorrow

Gloom patrol: Every Visible Thing lures The Crow fans with its jacket art

Girl next door:
Lisa Carey doesn't need black lipstick to write dark

No matter how you cut it, somewhere between ages 12-18, you’re guaranteed to enjoy at least a couple of “Hell years.” Emotional breakdowns are unavoidable, parental conflicts are routine, and the opposite sex is a confusing, terrifying force to be reckoned with. Lisa Carey, a Boston College grad and author of the much-adored Love in the Asylum, is no stranger to the pitfalls of adolescence. Every Visible Thing, her fourth novel, follows the Furey family as siblings Lena and Owen come of age. And they have more than typical teen angst to contend with, since their older brother’s disappearance and the paralyzing grief that his absence has brought push them and their parents down lonely paths of self-destruction. Carey’s lush prose ensures that we’ll have no choice but to watch it all unfold; she reads Thursday, Aug 31 at Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St, Brookline | 7 pm | free | 617.739.6002.