The Leaving is narrated through the perspectives of three of the characters: Luke, Avery and Scarlett. It is about six 5-year-olds that go suddenly missing one day, after one of them announces to their parents that they are going to "The Leaving". Nothing about their story is discovered for the whole eleven years before five out of the six children are taken back to their homes (all of them aged 16 now), with their memories erased of their childhood and having no clue of who they even are. As they are re-introduced to their home and family each of the children try to remember pieces of their past as they are pressured to do so by the town, media, their families and the family of the sixth missing child, Max. The novel tells the story as a few of the teenagers work to solve their own life story and an 11 year old mystery.
Review:
I found this book a bit of a slow start because of the confused plot and introduction to all the characters. I believe this was intentional though by the author as the whole story is built on the fact that these stolen kids do not remember anything of their past. The romance in The Leaving was weak, but luckily it was such a small element of the book that it is only just noticeable. If you plan on trying out this book make sure you are not relying on a good romance novel.
This book has strong themes of memory and identity which I found quite philosophical and powerful, as the characters collected pieces of themselves along the way whilst trying to either forget or figure out the story of their past. I found elements of the book quite impressive, as the author incorporated clever ways that helped the characters recollect information of their past, with even a slight red herring appearing in the story. You might find that other reviews on this book criticize the ending of the book, which was not as exciting and satisfying as it was built up to be, I found it a more realistic revelation that was cleverly and subtly hinted throughout the novel.
