When Oliver Neely was seven years old, his father kidnapped him, leaving his best friend Emmy and their suburban community to deal with the sudden disappearance. Ten years later, Oliver is found and returns to his mother’s house next door to Emmy. High school senior Emmy must reconcile her childhood memories of Oliver with the traumatized, quiet teenager he is now. They navigate their rekindled relationship while Oliver grapples with his father’s arrest and his mother’s overprotectiveness, and Emmy considers her own desire to escape her parents’ stifling anxieties about safety.
Readers of contemporary young adult fiction choose this book to see a realistic depiction of family dynamic shifts after a crisis. It is for those interested in legal and psychological repercussions of parental abduction rather than just the initial crime. The reader understands how long-term trauma impacts friendships and romantic bonds. They finish the book with a perspective on how teenagers establish independence and build personal identities while living under the shadow of their parents' past mistakes and resulting fears.
Practical, inward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2015
- Language
- EN
