A Novel by Sylvester Murray

Seventeen-year-old Amara Lewis has learned to survive by staying small—brilliant, guarded, and careful in a neighborhood where every move is watched and every mistake becomes a story. Living with her father in a tight-knit Black community, she knows exactly what people expect from her… and what they’ll say if she steps outside the lines.

Eighteen-year-old Rowan Hale has spent his whole life being misunderstood. Quiet, working-class, and carrying the weight of a fractured home, he’s used to being judged before he ever opens his mouth. In a town where his last name is a warning, Rowan keeps his head down and his heart locked away.

They were never supposed to meet. They were never supposed to want each other. And they were definitely never supposed to fall in love.

But one unexpected moment pulls them into each other’s orbit, and suddenly the world feels different—brighter, sharper, dangerous. Their connection is undeniable… and impossible to hide. As whispers turn into warnings and the pressure around them tightens, Amara and Rowan must decide whether love is worth the risk of being seen.

Tender, tense, and deeply human, When They Look at Us is a story about two young people fighting to claim something pure in a world determined to tear them apart. It’s about community and judgment, trauma and healing, and the courage it takes to choose each other when everyone is watching.