The Mystery of Hollow Places

A parent might reach for this book when their teenager is grappling with the heavy emotional weight of a parent's unexplained absence or the burden of family secrets. It is a deeply resonant choice for children who feel they have to solve the mysteries of their own lives or who are navigating the complex reality of a loved one living with mental illness. Imogene is a mystery writer's daughter who uses the tropes of her father's detective novels to track him down after he vanishes, mirroring her earlier search for the mother who left years before. The story explores themes of identity, the fear of inheriting a parent's struggles, and the way we construct stories to survive trauma. While framed as a mystery, it is primarily a character study of a teen learning to see her parents as flawed humans rather than just the roles they played (or failed to play) in her life. It is appropriate for mature teens who can handle themes of abandonment and psychiatric illness without needing a perfectly tidy resolution.