What an enjoyable read! The narrator is a nearly sixteen-year-old named Lucas Swain, the oldest son of Pete Swain, who has been missing since Lucas was eleven. To Lucas, his missing father is a hero. He dresses in his clothes and looks much like him. As the story unfolds, he discovers an urn with the ashes of one Violet Park, pianist, who knew her father. It is Violet who helps him discover what happened to Pete Swain who abandoned his family years ago. The boy discovers that he really never knew his father, a man who so blithely left his wife and three children for parts unknown. This is truly a tale of a boy growing into a man.
One night, 15-year-old Lucas Swain enters a taxicab company office and is immediately attracted to a strange urn sitting on the shelf. He learns that it contains the ashes of one Violet Park, a well-known pianist who lived in the neighborhood, and that the urn was left in the backseat of a taxi years ago. Lucas doesn't understand exactly why Violet called out to him from the dead, but he feels certain that it has something to do with his father's disappearance five years ago. Peter Swain, lifetime ladies' man and difficult to love, simply vanished into thin air one day, leaving behind a distressed wife with two children and another on the way.
The more Lucas finds out about Violet, however, the more he may be forced to admit that his father was never the hero that Lucas makes him out to be by wearing his clothes and clinging to memories of him.
ME, THE MISSING, AND THE DEAD has a simple but powerful premise. One may hardly believe that a story about a teenage boy who is obsessed with some lady's ashes would work, but it does, and it works beautifully. Lucas (by way of Valentine) keeps a morbid subject funny by constantly interspersing lists in different fonts and by having normal adolescent male observations about his older sister, his friends, and girls. Valentine's language is captivatingly easy to read, even delving into the mystical at appropriate times.
Ultimately this book is about family, forgiveness, and growing up. It should appeal to most audiences and makes for a good, lingering one-time read.
The more Lucas finds out about Violet, however, the more he may be forced to admit that his father was never the hero that Lucas makes him out to be by wearing his clothes and clinging to memories of him.
ME, THE MISSING, AND THE DEAD has a simple but powerful premise. One may hardly believe that a story about a teenage boy who is obsessed with some lady's ashes would work, but it does, and it works beautifully. Lucas (by way of Valentine) keeps a morbid subject funny by constantly interspersing lists in different fonts and by having normal adolescent male observations about his older sister, his friends, and girls. Valentine's language is captivatingly easy to read, even delving into the mystical at appropriate times.
Ultimately this book is about family, forgiveness, and growing up. It should appeal to most audiences and makes for a good, lingering one-time read.
Reviewed by The Story Siren for TeensReadToo.com
Lucas is still coming to terms with his father's disappearance despite the many years that have passed. If only he knew what really happened. Was he hurt, was he abducted by aliens, was he in jail and couldn't get to a phone? Lucas tries to make excuses for his father, but the truth of the matter is he doesn't know what happened.
Stopping for a cab early one morning, he is drawn to an urn that is residing in the cab office. Who knows exactly why Lucas was drawn to the urn, but sometimes we feel connections that can't be ignored. Once Lucas has the urn in his possession, he learns that the woman inside was named Violet. Lucas feels that Violet is communicating with him in some way. And she ultimately helps Lucas tie up the loose ends of his life that happen to be very closely intertwined to hers.
I wasn't sure what to expect from ME, THE MISSING, AND THE DEAD, but I did end up enjoying the book more than I initially thought I would! Lucas's character is humorous and real. It is easy to relate to him and how is feeling. I knew exactly what it was like not to know your father. Valentine's writing was refreshing and satisfying. The plot wasn't too heavy, but it also wasn't just fluff; it was a nice balance of meaning and discovery. The only complaint I have is that the beginning was a little slow, but once the story picked up, I couldn't stop turning the pages.
I enjoyed this book and I would love to read more by Ms. Valentine.
Lucas is still coming to terms with his father's disappearance despite the many years that have passed. If only he knew what really happened. Was he hurt, was he abducted by aliens, was he in jail and couldn't get to a phone? Lucas tries to make excuses for his father, but the truth of the matter is he doesn't know what happened.
Stopping for a cab early one morning, he is drawn to an urn that is residing in the cab office. Who knows exactly why Lucas was drawn to the urn, but sometimes we feel connections that can't be ignored. Once Lucas has the urn in his possession, he learns that the woman inside was named Violet. Lucas feels that Violet is communicating with him in some way. And she ultimately helps Lucas tie up the loose ends of his life that happen to be very closely intertwined to hers.
I wasn't sure what to expect from ME, THE MISSING, AND THE DEAD, but I did end up enjoying the book more than I initially thought I would! Lucas's character is humorous and real. It is easy to relate to him and how is feeling. I knew exactly what it was like not to know your father. Valentine's writing was refreshing and satisfying. The plot wasn't too heavy, but it also wasn't just fluff; it was a nice balance of meaning and discovery. The only complaint I have is that the beginning was a little slow, but once the story picked up, I couldn't stop turning the pages.
I enjoyed this book and I would love to read more by Ms. Valentine.
