Wordie Wednesday | Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley

Remember when I used to post Wordie Wednesdays once a week?  Yeah, those were good days.  Certainly, it hasn’t been for lack of reading– this year has been exceptionally full of good books that I can’t wait to share with you all– but I turned my focus on getting my clients’ photos finished as quickly as possible.  Now that things are slowing down as winter approaches, I’ll make sure to make Wordie Wednesdays a more regular thing, because I ever so adore writing about books that really make my heart soar and flip and other cliche things that hearts sometimes do.

As I’ve mentioned time and time again, I’m a rather big Young Adult lit buff, and try to read as many books from the Printz Award list every year (it’s an award presented to the top YA titles every year, and I find most books on the list to be quite deserving of being distinguished). I had only read one of the 2012 winners (Why We Broke Up, which I found disappointing), so Tony picked up Where Things Come Back for me, which, thankfully, was all kinds of brilliant.

Where Things Come Back is interspersed with two narratives.  The first, narrated by high school senior Cullen Witter, tells a heartwrenching tale of the disappearance of his brother, Gabriel.  The second, narrated by a similarly-aged teen named Benton Sage, is trying to find his place in life and his understanding of religion while doing missionary work in Africa.  These two tales eventually collide together in a way that is absolutely fascinating and explores second chances and how interpretation and understanding of just about anything largely depends on one’s own perspective.  I wish I could share more, but to do so will take away from the magic of this novel that was actually written by an under-30 first-time novelist (high five, Whaley!)  Both story lines were equally engaging and kept me reading until late at night, a sure sign that I’m absolutely loving a book.  I haven’t even addressed the mysterious Lazarus Woodpecker, which I hope will be even more incentive to pick up the book (because books with woodpeckers are clearly intriguing, right?)

I’ll leave you with a quote which cuts me to the quick and speaks to the heart of the novel: “When I asked him the meaning of life, Dr. Webb got very quiet and then told me that life has no one meaning, it only has whatever meaning each of us puts on our own life” (227).   I wish I could quote more of this passage, but it would ruin the whole reading experience for you.  Make sure to tell me what you thought of Where Things Come Back once you’ve read it (because you’re going to pick it up, right??)