Where Things Come Back

Synopsis (Goodreads):In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

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When one attends a young adult author event in which a Printz prize winning novelist is in attendance, one usually buys his/her book and kindly asks/begs/seduces (if you must) the author to sign it. I, however, failed to take my own advice and when the opportunity came to have John Corey Whaley sign Where Things Come Back, I left empty-handed. 

Guys, I WAS THIS CLOSE!!!!  *Napoleon Dynamite kick* Gaahh!

If you ask me, Where Things Come Back can only be described as depressingly hilarious. Or maybe it's hilariously depressing? The story delivers such a heady mix emotions that it becomes hard to sort out. But that was just a part of it's beauty and what I enjoyed most. It's honesty shines through and becomes its own human comedy. 

While the story is told through alternating POV's, off-beat Cullen is most certainly my main man. I wanted to be friends with him despite his overly cynical nature. Worry not, his smart-assedness is completely warranted. His brother has gone missing and he's stuck in a town he's just dying to get away from.

Where the harsh realities of Cullen's current misfortunes are something I would usually shy away from, I found myself reveling in his heartbreak and confusion. In some weird and masochistic way, I enjoyed being pulled and dragged along with his pain. Having been there a time or two, I easily slipped into his shoes and welcomed his cynicism as a companion throughout the novel. They made the developing and crumbling relationships all around him that much more interesting.

Not to mention the zombie daydreams. Oh yeah, there were zombie daydreams!!

While I would be hesitant to see another author pull this off, there is something uniquely charming and entertaining about Whaley's prose. He manages to weave two very delicate tales with masterful fluidity, so that when everything finally comes together it unleashes a thought-provoking conclusion. By the end, I was overcome with emotion. I didn't know if I should slam the book across the room or find John Corey Whaley and hug him.

At this point, I would go with the latter.

Despite my oh-so-huggy feelings, I'll admit that Whaley managed to break my heart and mend it, all in the span of some 200-odd pages! The novel's lessons really resonated with me and I couldn't get enough. I was a mess by the end of it, but I set the book down with a renewed sense of hope. Life is all about second chances and I finally got mine...

Best. Autograph. Ever!!