The Leaving

Altebrando, Tara. The Leaving. 2016. 432p. ISBN 9781619638037. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Eleven years ago, six children went to kindergarten and disappeared from the school. Prior to leaving young Scarlett told her mother she was going to The Leaving. The six literally vanished between the end of the school day and the time their parents came to pick them up. At the time there were reports of an unknown school bus, or of a white van. Some thought the kids had been abducted by aliens, others by psychopaths. Television specials were made about their disappearance. Thousands of articles were published, and extensive police investigations were conducted. For eleven years the children have been missed. Families broke up, some family members died. Everyone coped with this disastrous event in their own way.

Now five of them are back. Sixteen years old, they find themselves on a playground that looks familiar. Scarlett. Kristen. Sarah. Adam. Lucas. They don’t remember where they have been, what they have done, or even who they are. But they remember pieces of information. They recognize the playground. They know they are not all friends. They have hints left on them, such as a tattoo on Lucas, and a piece of metal swallowed by Sarah. They know they can drive, and they are up to speed on current events and cultural references. They vaguely remember where they lived when they were 5, and they all head home. But home has changed forever. And they all remember one of them is missing. What happened to Max?

Avery, meanwhile, is shocked to hear of the missings’ return, and crushed that Max is not among them. She barely remembers her older brother, but feels his loss every day. With the return, she wants answers to her questions. But the Missings don’t remember a thing. Or, at least, they claim they don’t remember a thing.

Told from Scarlett, Lucas, and Avery’s point of view, this book explores what it means to not have any memories of your own. What if you couldn’t remember who you were? How far would you be willing to go to recover your memories? Avery, Lucas and Scarlett are about to find out.