Review
Altebrando nails the staccato delivery of popular investigative podcasts like Serial . . . Extremely effective in landing emotional punches . . . Taut and thoroughly gripping. (Publishers Weekly)
The juicy premise is enough to draw mystery/crime fans, and Altebrando unspools details with a deft hand. (BCCB)
This gripping tale, full of unexpected twists and turns, will intrigue readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with a touch of the paranormal. (School Library Journal)
A fast-paced thriller . . . Fans of true-crime podcasts especially will feel right at home. (Booklist)
You will not sleep, check your phone or even breathe once you begin reading The Leaving. Altebrando hides a meditation on memory and identity inside a top-speed page-turner. I promise, you will not even look up from the page.
A twisting, harrowing story . . . Engrossing, both as a thriller and a meditation on memory-its limits, its loss, and the ways it deceives and constructs identity. (Publishers Weekly on THE LEAVING)
This is no mere thriller; folded into this compulsively readable work are thought-provoking themes. . . . Teens who enjoy engrossing, contemplative titles such as Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not will devour this insightful musing on memory and identity. (School Library Journal on THE LEAVING)
As heart-stopping as it is heart-breaking, The Leaving layers a wildly strange suspense story over a lovely and unexpected narrative of grief, loss, and the struggle to imagine a future in the shadow of the past.
This book gripped me on the first page, and by the last, had really moved me. It's a twisty, oh no she didn't thriller that keeps the surprises firing, but also a thoughtful meditation on memory, identity, and what really makes us who we are.
We are rushed headlong into Altebrando's The Leaving, and instantly we want to know: Who are these wildly intriguing teens? Where are their memories hiding? Who or what has engineered the disappearance of their childhood? Bold, inventive, and engaging, The Leaving leaps straight off the page.
Book Description
Another twisty psychological suspense from the author of The Leaving, where a teen searches for answers about her mother's dark history, telekinesis, and the power of will.
About the Author
Tara Altebrando is the author of several middle grade and teen novels, including The Leaving and Roomies, an ALA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, co-written with Sara Zarr. She lives in New York City with her family.
www.taraaltebrando.com
@TaraAltebrando