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Stunning debut novel.

Ultimately, this book is about grief, and the ways that traumatic grief especially can continue to impact our lives beyond the initial event.

Rather than write the story in the midst of the tragic lost of Otis's brother Mason, Garner instead chose to write it from the perspective of 3.5 years later. While the story is initially a little confusing because you know something happened, although you are not sure what, the lack of the backstory initially works well. As a reader, you are able to see that even without knowing exactly what happened, the characters are still deeply impacted by what happened after all that time.

Because of the distance from the event, I think this is a book that young adults need to be able to read. It is rare to find a YA novel that puts so much distance between the traumatic event and the current story, and for many people in general, they need to be able to hear that grief continues. It doesn't just go away in time. While overall living may become easier, there will still be times where the pain comes back in full, like a phantom limb.