Finding Violet Park

Reach for this book when your teenager is grappling with the heavy silence of an absent parent or struggling to find closure after a family mystery. Lucas Swain is a sixteen-year-old Londoner living in the shadow of his father's unexplained disappearance five years earlier. When he discovers an urn of ashes belonging to a woman named Violet Park in a taxi office, he becomes obsessed with her story, leading him on a journey to finally confront the truth about his own father. This is a deeply sensitive, quirky, and realistic exploration of grief and identity. It deals with death and abandonment in a secular, thoughtful way that respects a teenager's intelligence. It is ideal for ages 12 and up, providing a roadmap for how to talk about the people we have lost and the secrets families keep.