You will not sleep, check your phone or even breathe once you begin reading The Leaving. Altebrando hides a meditation on memory and identity inside a top-speed page-turner. I promise, you will not even look up from the page.” —E. Lockhart, author of WE WERE LIARS
“The Leaving isn't one of those books that creeps up on you: instead, it throws you in the back of an unmarked van and speeds off before you even have time to wonder what's going on. This book gripped me on the first page, and by the last, had really moved me. It's a twisty, oh no she didn't thriller that keeps the surprises firing, but also a thoughtful meditation on memory, identity, and what really makes us who we are.” —Bennett Madison, author of SEPTEMBER GIRLS
“As heart-stopping as it is heart-breaking, The Leaving layers a wildly strange suspense story over a lovely and unexpected narrative of grief, loss, and the struggle to imagine a future in the shadow of the past.” —Robin Wasserman, author of GIRLS ON FIRE
“Bold, inventive, and engaging, The Leaving leaps straight off the page.” —Beth Kephart, author of SMALL DAMAGES and THIS IS THE STORY OF YOU
“This is no mere thriller; folded into this compulsively readable work are thought-provoking themes. . . . Teens who enjoy engrossing, contemplative titles such as Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not will devour this insightful musing on memory and identity.” —starred review, School Library Journal
“A twisting, harrowing story . . . Engrossing, both as a thriller and a meditation on memory-its limits, its loss, and the ways it deceives and constructs identity.” —starred review, Publishers Weekly
“A twisting and turning mystery that will grip readers.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Told in a complicated layering, Altebrando constructs an amazing story about the lives of those taken and of those who tried to carry on back home.” —VOYA
“With a bit of romance, a bit of pathos, a bit of science fiction, and a bit of ripped-from-the-headlines trauma, this will appeal to fans of mystery.” —BCCB
“Highly satisfying . . . A believable and clever story that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end.” —Booklist
2016-03-16
Five teens who were part of a group of six that vanished as kindergartners reappear as mysteriously as they went missing in this thriller. Scarlett, Lucas, Sarah, Adam, and Kristen are dropped off in a park, each with a map to their respective homes tucked into their pockets. None of them has any memory of how they got there, who was driving the van that dropped them off, nor where they've been for the past 11 years. The agony experienced by their families has taken its toll, and the homes they return to are troubled places. This is only further complicated by the fact that Max, the sixth boy who disappeared with them, has not returned, and none of them has any memory of who he is. This multilayered story is told from the perspectives of Scarlett, Lucas, and Max's younger sister, Avery, all of whom come from white families, though of varying economic backgrounds. Their voices are distinct from one another, with Scarlett's narrative employing the most unconventional structure: sentences curve into various shapes on the page, and typed slashes evocatively illustrate how her mind reels. The eventual reveal is intricate and a long time coming, but it will satisfy. A twisting and turning mystery that will grip readers even if it is at times a bit difficult to follow. (Thriller. 14-18)
