Whaley, John Corey. Where Things Come Back

Whaley, John Corey.      Where Things Come Back   

Atheneum see Simon & Schuster

2011  228p  16.99 978-1-4424-1335-1 

 hs/adult    Conflict          VG-BN 

 Two seemingly disparate stories converge in this fascinating look into the life of a teenage boy in a sleepy southern town.    Whaley does something very interesting in this tale about Cullen Witter, older son of a loving family living in a tiny town in Arkansas ... he tells the story of Cullen's summer, in which his younger brother disappears suddenly, but he juxtaposes it with another story, the story of a troubled young college drop-out who is trying to find the meaning of life. 

The two stories converge toward the end of the book, in an interesting and

unexpected twist.  The book will appeal to sophisticated high-school students and college students. 

It would lend itself readily to class discussions.          Kennedy, Carol