Reviews have been consistently excellent for Christine Kandic Torres' debut novel, "The Girls in Queens." Against the vibrant and colorful backdrop of the Woodside neighborhood in the titular borough, the lifelong friendship enjoyed by Brisma and Kelly, now in their 20s, is significantly tested.

After Brisma rekindles a relationship with an old boyfriend, it surfaced that he's been charged with sexual assault. How she and Kelly view the situation is markedly different and reflects not just the painful way life changes us, but also reflects the cultural and ethnic flavors and diversity of Queens.

Torres appears in conversation with writer Thomas Hynes Wednesday in Westerly's Savoy Bookshop & Café.

Christine Kandic Torres, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Savoy Bookshop & Café, 10 Canal St., Westerly; free, books available for purchase and signing; (401) 213-3901, www.banksquarebooks.com.