Where Things Come Back

A winner of the Michal L. Printz Award and William C. Morris YA Award, Where Things Come Back became one of the most popular new young adult novels after it was released in 2012. The book describes a regular teenager facing a seemingly impossible reality in a broken world. Cullen Witter, a seventeen year old, wonders why his stagnant town of Lily, Arkansas is more interested in the reappearance of a supposedly extinct woodpecker rather than the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, Gabriel.

This book is definitely a good read. The beginning was a bit confusing, but I grew to like the two separate plots that were combined in an unexpected way. Although not always positive, the characters were extremely interesting. I was able to empathize with some of their existential angst as well. Overall, the characters in Where Things Come Back were not annoying and shallow like many, many other characters in YA novels around the nation (thank goodness).

I would rate this novel a (drum roll please) 4 out of 5. Strong, attention-grabbing messages and captivating characters kept me reading this book until 4 in the morning. My only complaint is that the beginning seemed just a bit disconnected to the rest of the novel. I would not classify Where Things Come Back as a “must read,” but it is certainly a top notch piece of literature