Boy, 9, Missing

Boy, 9, Missing by Nic Joseph
On Sale September 1, 2016 
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark
Rating: ★★★★

This is a promising debut from author Nic Joseph that examines what happens when people can't move on from the past.

Alex and Kate Scroll experience every parent's worst nightmare. Their youngest son, Lucas, is found dead in their bathtub when he's 9 years old, seemingly the victim of a tragic accident while his parents were downstairs having a dinner party. But there would be no closure for the Scroll family. The young boy who finds Lucas's body, Sam Farr, son of that night's dinner guests, won't talk. Sam won't say what he saw, if anything, no matter who screams at him or threatens him. Thus, in desperation, the Scrolls wage a campaign against the boy, even having him prosecuted. But nothing sticks. Sam stays silent. And free: to grow up, to live his life, to have a son.

The tragedy breaks the Scrolls. Alex seeks comfort in a bottle, Kate in younger man, and older son Francis gets the hell out of dodge. Years later, Francis has changed his name and has almost no contact with his parents. But circumstances bring him back to his hometown of Lansing, Illinois, where he works as a journalist for the local paper and is trying to raise a teenage daughter. Not long after he moves home, the community is rocked again by another tragedy involving a young boy: 9 year old Matthew Farr is missing. Francis can't shake the feeling his father is involved.

How many generations must suffer for one tragedy?

The premise of this book is definitely intriguing, and it's well-written, but there were a few missteps that prevented me from giving it a full five stars. While Francis and Sam are fleshed out characters, many of the other central figures are cardboard. Even though the entire set of events revolves around what happened to Lucas, I feel like I barely got to know him. I thought the story tried to do too much and veered off into too many directions. That said, this book ended on a high note, as the ending is very well crafted. Overall, I really enjoyed this.