by Maile Meloy
First published 2017
Liv and Nora plan the perfect family vacation. They book a cruise with their husbands and four children, ages six to eleven. The ship offers comfort and endless buffets. The kids revel in their freedom while the adults relax into the luxury. Everything changes during a shore excursion in Central America. Small mistakes and bad luck pull the families away from their ship's safety. The children vanish without warning. The parents spiral into blame and panic, their sense of control shattered. Meanwhile, the missing kids find strength they never knew they had. The crisis strips away comfortable assumptions about security and protection. Parents who always felt in charge discover how little power they actually possess. Children who seemed helpless prove surprisingly resourceful. The ordeal forces everyone to question what truly matters when everything familiar falls apart.
Genres: fiction, adventure, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: crisis, found-family, loss-of-control
Setting: Central America
480 pages · Paperback · Random House Large Print
Content warnings: anxiety