Where Things Come Back

John Corey Whaley's award-winning novel, 'Where Things Come Back,' offers a unique blend of humor and poignancy for young adult readers aged 12-18. The story centers on Cullen Witter, whose summer before senior year is upended by his cousin's overdose, his younger brother Gabriel's inexplicable disappearance, and his small Arkansas town's bizarre obsession with an allegedly reappearing extinct woodpecker. A parallel storyline follows a young missionary's crisis of faith in Africa, which eventually intertwines with Cullen's narrative in a surprising climax. The book masterfully explores themes of grief, redemption, the meaning of life, and the hope of second chances, making it a rich read for thoughtful teenagers.

Winner of the 2012 Michael L. Printz and William C. Morris Awards, this poignant and hilarious story of loss and redemption “explores the process of grief, second chances, and even the meaning of life” (Kirkus Reviews). In the remarkable, bizarre, and heart-wrenching summer before Cullen Witter’s senior year of high school, he is forced to examine everything he thinks he understands about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town. His cousin overdoses; his town becomes absurdly obsessed with the alleged reappearance of an extinct woodpecker; and most troubling of all, his sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother, Gabriel, suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Meanwhile, the crisis of faith spawned by a young missionary’s disillusion in Africa prompts a frantic search for meaning that has far-reaching consequences. As distant as the two stories initially seem, they are woven together through masterful plotting and merge in a surprising and harrowing climax. This extraordinary tale from a rare literary voice finds wonder in the ordinary and illuminates the hope of second chances.